Germany and France scrap €100 bn Future Combat Air System, prompting German “Team Gen 6” fighter alliance

On 8 June 2026 the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a €100 billion European sixth‑generation fighter programme launched in 2017 by France and Germany, was officially abandoned. The collapse followed years of disputes over work‑share allocations and leadership between Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence and Space, with national interests outweighing the political will to keep the project alive.

In response, Germany’s defence industry quickly announced a new consortium called “Team Gen 6”. Eight leading German firms – Airbus Defence and Space, Autoflug, Diehl Defence, Hensoldt, Liebherr, MBDA Deutschland, MTU Aero Engines and Rohde & Schwarz – signed a strategic positioning paper at the ILA Berlin air show to develop a sixth‑generation fighter under a more agile industrial structure. Spanish defence companies have expressed support for the alliance, and Berlin is also weighing alternatives such as purchasing US F‑35 jets or joining the Global Combat Air Programme with the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan.