Conflict between Dassault and Airbus: development of the European sixth generation fighter jet will be delayed

Eric Trappier, CEO of the French company Dassault Aviation, expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the progress of cooperation with Airbus under the FCAS (Future Combat Air System) programme, which involves the development of a new sixth-generation fighter aircraft, the NGF.

Here's What We Know

In an interview with Defence News, he said that the programme is moving too slowly due to chronic problems with the division of authority and delays in making key decisions.

Trappier believes that the partner countries - France, Germany and Spain - should be more involved in project coordination and clearly define the roles of the implementers. According to him, the current management model is not working, and without changes in the approach, the future aircraft risks not taking off on time - the first flight is expected in 2029, and the programme itself is due to start in 2026.

Trappier called the imbalance in votes between Dassault and Airbus a key problem. The French company has only one-third of the influence, while Airbus has two-thirds, which causes constant disputes over the division of responsibilities. Dassault is the main contractor in the development of the NGF, but decisions are often blocked or delayed by partners, in particular Airbus teams in Germany and Spain.

The FCAS programme is supported by a consortium of companies, which, in addition to Dassault and Airbus, also includes Indra Sistemas and Eumet. In 2022, the parties signed a €3.2 billion contract to build the platform and ground test the aircraft in the first phase.

Criticism of FCAS has also been increasingly loud from the French authorities, who worry that the initiative, conceived as an ambitious joint project, is turning into a source of conflict and delays.

Source: Defence News