Dassault CEO says FCAS fighter project 'dead' if Airbus refuses to co-operate

Paris: The head of French warplane maker Dassault Aviation said he had taken note of what he described as Airbus' refusal to work with it on a next-generation fighter, and that the FCAS project would be "dead" unless that stance changed.

Plans for the next ‌phase of ⁠a 100 ⁠billion euro ($116 billion) development between France, represented by Dassault, and Germany and Spain, represented by Airbus, are widely seen as near collapse amid a worsening spat between the aerospace groups.

"Airbus doesn't want to work with Dassault, full stop. I take note," Trappier told a news conference.


Airbus declined to comment.

The dispute concerns the leadership ⁠of the ‌core fighter part of the project to build an interconnected flotilla of crewed planes and armed drones under ⁠a common connective cloud.

Trappier said he had proposed changes to rules for the flying demonstrator phase that would clarify Dassault's leadership of the core fighter, including suppliers, while granting Airbus sway over its own areas of responsibility.

Asked repeatedly over the fate of the flagship Franco-German project at a results briefing, Trappier defended France's record in making high-performance ‌fighters like the Rafale and accused Airbus of wanting a cumbersome Eurofighter-type partnership.

"I have said from the start that I want clear ⁠leadership and not just on paper," Trappier said, referring to the crewed fighter component.

Airbus has said existing agreed rules should be maintained.

Last month Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury denied that relations with Dassault had broken down completely, but appeared to turn the page on FCAS in its current form, raising the possibility of two separate fighters in public for the first time.