Airbus has joined forces with seven other German defence and aviation companies, alongside a group of Spanish firms, to push ahead with work on a next-generation European combat aircraft after the fighter component of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme collapsed.
The initiative, branded Team Gen 6, was unveiled on 11 June 2026 at the ILA Berlin Airshow. Its formation was first reported by the Financial Times.
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In a post on X, Airbus Defence and Space said it had signed a “strategic positioning paper” with the German companies, setting out a new industrial approach for developing a sixth-generation fighter.
The German signatories named by Airbus are Autoflug, Diehl Defence, Hensoldt, Liebherr, MBDA Deutschland, MTU Aero Engines and Rohde & Schwarz.
In addition, Airbus Defence and Space also said that Spanish industry is aligning closely with the effort through companies including Indra, GMV, Grupo Oesía, Sener and ITP Aero.
Team Gen 6 comes days after Germany and France decided to abandon their joint collaboration to develop a new fighter aircraft, according to German officials.
The break followed prolonged disputes between the main industrial partners Airbus, representing German and Spanish interests, and France’s Dassault Aviation, which officials said failed to reach agreement on key issues.
Airbus Defence said the broader FCAS concept, often described as a connected “system of systems,” is continuing, but argued that the sixth-generation fighter at its core now needs “a new, agile industrial setup” following the Franco-German realignment.
“As Team Gen 6, we have the capabilities and the capacities,” Airbus Defence said, adding that the group is seeking close alignment with policymakers and the air force to move the effort forward.
Beyond the new German-Spanish grouping, Airbus is also reported to be considering Sweden’s Saab as a preferred future partner, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Any cooperation would ultimately be a political decision, Reuters reported, citing Saab. Airbus had no immediate comment.
The widening strain in Franco-German defence cooperation is also spilling into other programmes.
Reuters reported that Dassault is seeking compensation from Airbus over procurement changes linked to the delayed Eurodrone project, an initiative involving France, Germany, Italy and Spain intended to develop a European alternative to the US-made Reaper drone.
