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. ADVERTISEMENT"Airbus doesn't want to work with Dassault, full stop. "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.

Source: The Telegraph March 04, 2026 11:38 UTC