Spain, Germany and France abandon €100 bn FCAS fighter program

The trilateral Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, a €100 billion effort to develop a sixth‑generation combat aircraft for Europe, has been scrapped after French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz concluded that the partners could not agree on leadership and work‑share. The dispute centered on French Dassault’s demand for an 80 % stake versus the originally intended 33 % each for France, Germany and Spain, with Airbus also involved.

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles condemned the outcome, saying industry interests trumped European security and that "Spain needs a sixth‑generation aircraft". She indicated Spain will explore alternatives, including a possible Hispano‑German‑Swedish collaboration and participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with the UK, Italy and Japan.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius expressed personal disappointment and confirmed Germany is now seeking new partners for a national combat‑air project, mentioning talks with Sweden’s Saab and the need for a clear industrial structure. Spain, meanwhile, will continue developing its cloud‑combat networking system with Indra, keeping that component alive despite the aircraft’s cancellation.