PARIS, March 4 (Reuters) - The head of French warplane maker Dassault Aviation said he had taken note of what he described as Airbus' refusal to work with it on a next-generation fighter, and that the
Dassault CEO says FCAS fighter project 'dead' if Airbus refuses to cooperate
Dispute Threatens Future of European Fighter Jet Collaboration
By Tim Hepher
PARIS, March 4 (Reuters) - The head of France's Dassault Aviation declared a troubled warplane project with Germany "dead" if Airbus did not back down from what he described as the European planemaker's refusal to cooperate.
The comments from France's longstanding national warplane champion are the latest sign that plans for the next phase of the 100 billion euro ($116 billion) programme are near collapse amid rivalry between the two aerospace groups.
Statements from Dassault and Airbus
"Airbus doesn't want to work with Dassault, full stop. I take note," Eric Trappier told a news conference.
Airbus declined to comment but referred to earlier remarks as both companies seek to avoid blame for the unravelling of a flagship project launched by French President Emmanuel Macron and then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017.
Although headquartered in France, where most of its civil airliners are assembled, Airbus represents Germany and Spain on the FCAS project.
Last month, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury denied relations with Dassault had broken down completely, but appeared to turn the page on FCAS in its current form, raising for the first time the possibility of two separate fighters.
Reactions to Recent Statements
Asked by reporters which comments had triggered his reaction, Trappier pointed to recent statements by Germany's IG Metall union and aerospace lobby group BDLI.
"They had BDLI and IG Metall say it; they didn't have the courage to say it themselves," he told reporters. An Airbus spokesperson declined to comment on third-party statements.
The heads of BDLI and IG Metall published a joint op-ed last month titled "Excuse me, Dassault, but this is not ok," warning of Germany's "industrial self-abandonment".
Dassault's Position on Project Leadership
Dassault Wants Leadership Clarity
DASSAULT WANTS LEADERSHIP CLARITY
The dispute centres on leadership of the core fighter element of plans to build an interconnected fleet of crewed planes and armed drones under a common digital umbrella.
Proposed Solutions and Criticisms
Trappier said he had proposed clarifying Dassault's leadership of the core fighter, including choice of suppliers, while granting Airbus control over its own workshare.
He defended France's record in making high-performance combat jets and accused Airbus of pushing for a more cumbersome Eurofighter-type partnership, referring to a four-nation jet.
"I have said from the start that I want clear leadership and not just on paper," Trappier said.
Future Prospects and Political Implications
Insiders expect Germany and France to abandon development of a joint fighter jet but continue cooperation on drones and the so-called combat cloud, or digital backbone. But rowing back the plan is seen as politically awkward for Macron.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last month appeared to back this scenario, citing diverging strategic needs.
Dassault's Readiness for Standalone Development
Trappier said he remained ready to work with Airbus but sketched out options for a standalone aircraft, saying this could be developed for less than 50 billion euros thanks to Dassault's track record with independent programmes.
He also questioned how easy it would be to share common systems or engines.
($1 = 0.8621 euros)
(Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark Potter)
