The Digester

Franco-German €100bn fighter jet project set for restructuring, Airbus says

Mar 10th 2026

Airbus Defence CEO Michael Schoellhorn told DW the Future Combat Air System will continue but must be restructured after industrial disputes with French partner Dassault over the manned fighter.

  • FCAS is a €100 billion Franco-German-Spanish air defence programme launched in 2017 to develop a sixth-generation fighter, a combat cloud, unmanned systems and sensors.