Germany Welcome to Leave FCAS Fighter Project: Dassault Aviation CEO

French Aircraft manufacturer, Dassault Aviation has the capability to execute the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) sixth-generation fighter project on its own, its CEO Eric Trappier said in response to Germany’s threat to pull out from the project over work share.

Some analysts opine that Germany could be looking for a way out of the FCAS project due to its investment in the F-35 of which it has ordered 35 jets and has plans to buy 15 more.  

France, Germany, and Spain are working to develop future fighter jets that can fly alongside unmanned combat aircraft. However, the €100 billion project has been plagued by disagreements between Airbus and Dassault. Germany has accused Dassault of claiming sole leadership by obstructing the aircraft's construction phase.

A leading member of the German parliament's defence committee last month raised the possibility that Berlin could leave FCAS and said the government needed to make a quick decision.

"The Germans may complain, but we know how to do it. If they want to go it alone, let them do so," Trappier said when asked about the dispute at the opening of a parts factory for the current Rafale fighter jets, Reuters reported.

"We know how to do everything from start to finish; we've demonstrated that for over 70 years," Trappier said asserting his company’s competence in developing fighter jets.

French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel launched the FCAS project in 2017; Spain joined the project two years later.

While differences between France and Germany have existed since the initiation of the project, tensions peaked over Madrid's involvement, which increased Airbus's influence in the program and led to Dassault losing its voting power over day-to-day decisions. German sources claimed Dassault was trying to dominate the project and disrupt the equitable distribution of work by keeping most work in France.

However, if France decides to go it alone, it may have difficulty financing the FCAS on its own due to funds squeeze as Dassault is funding its order book for the Rafale through debt. Airbus, the executing partner on the German side lacks the necessary technologies to develop a sixth generation jet.