Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn has reportedly ruled out the complete failure of the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, despite unresolved disputes threatening the collaboration between the project’s main industrial partners.
According to a Reuters report on 27 May 2026, despite significant ongoing differences between Airbus and France’s Dassault Aviation, work on the programme’s networking system for weapons and its drone initiative is expected to continue.
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The €100bn ($116bn) FCAS programme is a tri-national effort involving Germany, France, and Spain, aimed at strengthening European defence capabilities through a new integrated air combat system.
Central to the project is the development of a next generation weapon system built around new piloted fighters and uncrewed remote carrier drones, interoperable across all military domains via a data-focused architecture known as the “Combat Cloud.”
Industry sources, including Reuters, have reported that the future of FCAS is at risk due to disagreements surrounding project control and work share between Dassault Aviation and Airbus.
Schoellhorn described the current differences as “unbridgeable,” but underscored the likelihood that the Combat Cloud networking suite and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone programme would both move forward.
Furthermore, Schoellhorn noted that German and French defence ministries are seeking a solution to secure the project’s future, with hopes that a political decision will be reached before the ILA Berlin Air Show on 10 June.
He also discussed potential alternatives under consideration, such as developing two separate fighter jets or forming a broader European partnership, but made clear that “Germany could not take on that project alone.”
The FCAS architecture is designed for modularity and scalability, intending to connect platforms such as the Eurofighter and Rafale and to leverage technologies including artificial intelligence and big data.
The project targets full collaborative operational capability by 2040.
Schoellhorn’s comments come after German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius reiterated in July 2025 that Europe remains committed to large-scale defence efforts such as FCAS and the Main Ground Combat System.
