Overview
- France and Germany agreed on Thursday to abandon the joint FCAS sixth‑generation fighter after years of industrial and political disputes between Dassault and Airbus.
- Spain’s Ministry of Defence has kept two national Programas Especiales de Modernización worth €700 million active and confirmed continued work with Indra and Airbus to protect critical R&D.
- Six major Spanish defence firms signed a joint declaration to keep developing the FCAS‑derived combat cloud, next‑generation weapons and remote carriers and to seek new European partners.
- Airbus Defence Germany and a German industrial coalition have launched an alternative sixth‑generation initiative and Spain is exploring partnerships with Sweden and Turkey while weighing F‑35 purchases that face U.S. delivery limits.
- Industry warns the split risks skilled jobs, supply chains and know‑how and governments say preserving these technologies is key to retaining a path to a sixth‑generation capability by about 2040.