Germany and France race to save their troubled fighter jet project by 2026
Germany and France are making a final push to save their troubled fighter jet project. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has appointed Frank Haun, a top defence executive, to mediate disputes between Dassault and Airbus. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) now faces a mid-2026 deadline to resolve deep industrial divisions. The FCAS programme has been stuck in prolonged disagreements between French and German partners. Dassault Aviation insists on leading the project, while Airbus—representing Germany and Spain—resists this demand. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly urged French President Emmanuel Macron to break the deadlock.
Macron and Merz held direct talks but avoided public details on technical or financial hurdles. Instead, both sides agreed to bring in expert mediators. Merz tasked Frank Haun, the former CEO of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), with either reviving the project or restructuring it to prevent collapse. Haun, known for merging KMW with France's Nexter, is seen as a key figure in resolving cross-border defence disputes.
France has also turned to Laurent Collet-Billon, the ex-head of its defence procurement agency. Collet-Billon worked closely with Haun during the Nexter-KMW merger and previously managed the Airbus A400M programme, which faced its own early setbacks. Their combined experience suggests a last-ditch effort to align industrial interests.
If mediation fails, alternatives include Airbus developing the jet independently. Another option involves rebalancing shareholdings between German and French stakeholders in KNDS, the defence group formed by KMW and Nexter. The clock is ticking, with a firm deadline set for April 2026. The FCAS project now hinges on Haun and Collet-Billon's ability to bridge deep divisions. A failure to agree by mid-2026 could force Airbus to proceed alone or abandon the joint venture entirely. The outcome will shape Europe's future combat aircraft capabilities for decades.
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