The eight-company alliance dubbed "Team Gen 6" plans to hold a signing ceremony at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) outside the German capital, Airbus told AFP on Wednesday.Their project hopes to replace the long troubled Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, which was abandoned on Monday by Berlin and Paris after months of tension between the two main manufacturers, Airbus and France's Dassault.The collapse of FCAS, which also involved Spain, comes at a time Europe is rushing to build up its defences against a hostile Russia and amid strained defence ties with NATO partner the United States under President Donald Trump.Berlin has not yet committed to an alternative aircraft project to FCAS, with a government spokesman on Wednesday saying only that "as one door closes, others open".The eight companies have already sent a position paper to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius outlining their vision for the new jet, Airbus said.The paper, seen by AFP, calls on the German government to ensure "a complete and timely awarding of contracts by the second half of 2026".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Schoenefeld, near Berlin on June 10, 2026 © RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP
