Germany Shifts Focus to Domestic Fighter Development After FCAS Collapse
Following the termination of the joint Future Combat Air System project with France, Germany announced a new aviation strategy and is positioning its industry to lead a sixth-generation fighter program.
Germany said it will pursue a new aviation strategy that links civil flight, military aerospace, innovation and national security, after the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) partnership with France fell apart. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at the ILA Berlin air show, described the end of the joint fighter-jet effort as an opening for German industry to advance a modern combat aircraft by alternative routes.
Germany now aims to leverage its fiscal capacity and domestic expertise to become a central player in a sixth-generation fighter project. An Airbus-led consortium of defence firms, known as Team Gen 6, submitted a position paper to the government outlining its plan. Michael Schoellhorn, head of Airbus Defence and Space, said the group has “the expertise, the technologies, the capacity, and the clear determination to develop and build FCAS and a sixth-generation fighter jet — for Europe and with Europe.” He added, “We do not favor Germany going it alone. We think European. But we want German industry to have a central role.”
The German defence budget is set to rise sharply, with projected spending of €153 billion a year by 2029, roughly 3.5 % of GDP, surpassing France’s planned €72.8 billion. While France faces tighter fiscal constraints, it retains technical experience from the Rafale programme. Analysts note that the original FCAS concept paired French warplane technology with German financing, a balance now shifting toward German-led development.
German air force chief Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann warned that the Bundeswehr needs solutions “today — not in one or three years,” underscoring the urgency of establishing an export strategy and securing partners for the future fighter.
The chancellor concluded that Germany is positioning itself as “an attractive location for the entire aviation industry,” aiming to place the country at the forefront of both civil and military aerospace innovation.