US EditionFrench-German Fighter Program on Life Support as Dassault Blames Airbus
Dassault warns the Future Combat Air System program could collapse without Airbus, risking separate national jets and fractured European defense cooperation, CEO Éric Trappier said.
- On Wednesday, Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, warned FCAS could be dead if Airbus maintains its position of not wanting to work with Dassault, and said Dassault may proceed with another industrial team.
- The dispute centers on industrial roles, with the FCAS contract assigning the Next Generation Fighter to Dassault while Airbus handles drone wingmen and the 'combat cloud' communications network; Trappier rejects a 'co-co-co' leadership approach, demanding a single leader.
- In June, Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defence and Space, acknowledged 'tensions' but said Airbus remained 'committed', while an industry source told Breaking Defense a split could create two fighter airframes involving Germany and Spain.
- Dassault's finances show resilience, with company value up nearly 27 percent since the start of the year, while Trappier told reporters it will find other partners if needed.
- Amid rival GCAP development, Trappier pushed back against Friedrich Merz's last month comments and said on Wednesday that France cannot support having two aircraft while Airbus is too late to join GCAP.
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25 Articles
Eric Trappier, boss of Dassault Aviation, raises the tone in the face of disagreements with Airbus over the future SCAF combat aircraft project. He calls for "true leadership" and warns that without compromise, the program could be suspended.
The more the weeks pass, and the closer the SCAF seems to be to the precipice. During the presentation of Dassault Aviation's annual results, on March 4, Eric Trappier launched an ultimatum on the future of the Air Combat System of the Future (CAFS). The group's boss said that he "did not want to work with Dassault anymore." His conclusion is without appeal: if this position is maintained, "the subject is dead," he said at the presentation of Da…
"Airbus no longer wants to work with Dassault," Dassault's CEO told AFP. The SCAF (Air Combat System of the Future) is one of the largest European military projects today. Dassault and Airbus had to work together to replace the French Rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighter. But Europe is more divided than ever.
New outbreak of fever around the future European combat aircraft: the aeronautical manufacturer accused this Wednesday the French aircraft manufacturer of torpedoing it at a time when the leaders hesitate to decide between the maintenance of the project in the state or the option to two aircraft.
DEXYPTAGE - The Rafale builder believes that the European giant does not want to work with him, which threatens the project.
In the dispute over the FCAS armaments project, the fronts are hardened. A battle of narratives is raging for a long time with a view to the agreements reached.
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