Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 19, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 3, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAirbus said it could back a two-fighter path for Europe’s FCAS if governments ask, reflecting strains with Dassault over leadership and workshare. The debate follows fresh German doubts about a single design. (airbus.com)
PARIS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Airbus would support a "two-fighter solution" for Europe's faltering FCAS fighter programme if governments request it, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said on Thursday.
The comments during a results presentation follow a dispute between Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain, and French partner Dassault Aviation over leadership of the core warplane component of a planned system of fighters and drones.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Airbus indicated it could support a two-fighter approach within Europe’s FCAS program if requested by governments, highlighting ongoing frictions with Dassault over leadership of the next-generation fighter.
The Future Combat Air System is a Franco‑German‑Spanish project to build a system-of-systems for air combat, including a next‑generation fighter, drones and a shared ‘combat cloud’ network.
A split could reshape workshare, timelines and risk across Airbus, Dassault and suppliers, potentially shifting capital allocation toward the combat cloud and other FCAS components if joint fighter plans stall.
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