{"id":71827,"date":"2026-02-19T13:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/02\/19\/airbus-open-to-two-fighter-option-for-fcas-to-keep-program-alive\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T14:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:10:13","slug":"airbus-open-to-two-fighter-option-for-fcas-to-keep-program-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2026\/02\/19\/airbus-open-to-two-fighter-option-for-fcas-to-keep-program-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbus open to two-fighter option for FCAS to keep program alive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PARIS \u2014 Airbus is open to a \u201ctwo-fighter solution\u201d to break the deadlock on the future air-combat system that France, Germany and Spain are developing, Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said, as work on the next-generation fighter (NGF) that\u2019s part of the program has stalled amid infighting between Airbus and Dassault Aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Future Combat Air System program, or FCAS, is at \u201ca difficult junction,\u201d Faury said at the Airbus full-year earnings press conference in Toulouse, France, on Thursday. Work is divided into multiple areas, and Faury said other than the future fighter segment, other pillars such as the combat cloud, remote drone carriers and engine are \u201cworking well and making good progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe deadlock of a single pillar should not jeopardize the entire future of this high-tech European capability, which will bolster our collective defense,\u201d Faury said. \u201cIf mandated by our customers, we would support a two-fighter solution, and are committed to playing a leading role in such a reorganized FCAS delivered through European cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program for a sixth-generation air combat system, first announced in 2017, has been dragging for years amid disputes over work share, leadership and issues around technology transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frustrations have mounted recently as a deadline by France and Germany to clarify the program\u2019s future<\/a> by the end of 2025 slipped by without an announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also questions \u201cunder a certain governance, on the ability to reach the objective of the program for the different customers,\u201d according to Faury, who said it\u2019s up to the program clients to comment on the that issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview this week his country doesn\u2019t currently need the same aircraft as France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials in Paris have stated from early on in the project<\/a> that the nation requires a fighter able to operate from an aircraft carrier and fire nuclear weapons to ensure sovereign capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Airbus Chief executive officer (CEO) Guillaume Faury speaks during an Airbus annual results press conference in Toulouse, France, on Feb. 19, 2026. Ed Jones \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Merz said if the requirement profile can\u2019t be solved, the project can\u2019t be maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belgian Minister of Defence Theo Francken summarized the Merz interview as meaning \u201cFCAS is dead according to the German Chancellor,\u201d in a social media post<\/a>, saying there will be no French-German fighter aircraft, and Belgium would reassess its observer status in the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe continue to believe that the program as a whole makes sense and that we should not jeopardize the progress and the relevance of the other pillars,\u201d Faury said. \u201cAnd we need to find a way forward on the NGF pillar, expecting decisions from customers. And then we\u2019ll see. We are not at the point of deciding next before this step is passed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether Airbus would prefer to develop a new fighter alone, do so together with Sweden, or join the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme, Faury said \u201cwe would be wrong to be right too early.\u201d He said Airbus has invested \u201ca lot of time, energy\u201d into the FCAS program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe if there\u2019s a way forward with two fighters, it could be an opportunity to have other partners with us,\u201d the Airbus executive said. \u201cBut it belongs to our customers to decide with whom they want to join forces, would it be the case. Again, we are not yet at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European need for an \u201cambitious\u201d future combat air system is unchanged, according to Faury, who said a project of the scale of FCAS can only be delivered through cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of air forces face the question of whether to move directly to a future of unmanned aircraft, with the risk of becoming irrelevant for a period of time due to a lack of modern manned fighters, or invest \u201ca lot of money\u201d in crewed fighters before moving to the next capability, Faury said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While autonomous technology is moving fast, \u201cthe belief at this stage is that there is still a need for a manned fighter, besides growing capabilities in unmanned flight,\u201d Faury said. He said there is an expectation that at some point \u201cquite far in the future\u201d manned capabilities will be largely replaced by unmanned capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the troubled Eurodrone program to develop a long-range drone led by Airbus, Faury said discussions are ongoing between customers \u201cabout the way forward,\u201d though he expects the program to continue as the majority of partners still back the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France is in negotiations with Germany, Italy and Spain to exit the program, Challenges reported<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe deadlock of a single pillar should not jeopardize the entire future of this high-tech European capability, which will bolster our collective 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