Dassault Aviation has announced that the SCAF or FCAS (Future Combat Air System) program, intended to eventually replace both the Rafale and the Eurofighter, is experiencing progress difficulties due to disagreements among the partner companies.

Indeed, Paris and Berlin have different requirements for the future combat aircraft. France needs an aircraft capable of carrying nuclear warheads while remaining light enough to land on an aircraft carrier, whereas Germany would prefer a larger plane capable of carrying more weaponry.

During the presentation of the 2025 results, CEO Éric Trappier spoke of a project that is stalling and called for an end to further delays. He recalled that France had been designated in 2018 to lead the aircraft pillar of the program—known as "Pillar 1"—and that Dassault Aviation was therefore to act as the main contractor and leader.

Tensions have since arisen with Airbus Germany, which is advocating for co-leadership and fears being sidelined. "Either you are the leader, or you are not," the Dassault Aviation executive emphasized, adding that developing a next-generation combat aircraft requires a clearly identified industrial leader to make technological decisions and ensure system coherence.

When presenting its results, Guillaume Faury, head of Airbus, acknowledged ongoing deadlocks, linked, in his view, "to different expectations among the partners regarding governance and the definition of leadership and cooperation."

While the idea of a two-aircraft solution is beginning to take shape among some, the Dassault boss is clearly opposed, stating that France does not support this approach.

For his part, Guillaume Faury left the door open to this idea: "If our clients ask us, we will support a two-combat-aircraft solution and are committed to playing a leading role in the reorganization of FCAS, as a result of European cooperation."
As the current phase of the program is supposed to lead to the construction of a flying demonstrator, Éric Trappier warned that any delay in deciding to move to the next stage could impact the overall project timeline.

"I repeat, Airbus does not want to work with Dassault. I understand that—Airbus wants to work alone [...]. I do not know if they received a request from Germany that prompted these statements, but yes, this project is at a standstill. It is complicated," he said, before cautioning: "If Airbus does not want to work with Dassault, the project may not succeed."