FCAS is a joint program launched in 2017 by France and Germany, with Spain joining in 2019, to field a next-generation combat aircraft by 2040.

It is designed as a “system of systems,” combining a manned fighter with unmanned platforms and a digital combat cloud.

Leadership And Strategic Autonomy

Speaking at a corporate security conference in Paris organized by the Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE), Trappier cast open doubt on whether FCAS will proceed at all.

“Will it happen? I don’t know,” he said on December 16, 2025, linking the program’s fate to unresolved political and industrial choices rather than technical feasibility.

Trappier directly questioned Germany’s strategic orientation, asking:

“Is Germany willing to put aside its transatlantic relationship in defence matters?”

“Effective Co-operation” Demanded

At the industrial level, Trappier reiterated Dassault’s insistence on leading the core manned fighter element, known as the Next Generation Fighter (NGF).

He argued that Dassault’s experience as prime contractor on programs such as the Rafale justifies this role, while other components could be allocated elsewhere.

“I am asking for leadership on the basis of the capabilities of the Dassault company,” he said, adding that he is “not against co-operation but (it must be) effective co-operation.”

FCAS is currently estimated at around €100 billion ($116 billion) and includes the NGF, unmanned “remote carriers,” and a combat cloud intended to network sensors, shooters, and decision-making.

Disputes over workshare and intellectual property, particularly between Dassault and Airbus, which represents German industrial interests across several pillars, have delayed progress for years.

U.S. Purchases And Political Friction

Trappier again criticized Germany’s decision to acquire U.S.-made F-35 fighters for NATO’s nuclear-sharing mission, viewing the move as incompatible with the goal of European strategic autonomy.

French officials and industry figures have repeatedly argued that such purchases weaken incentives to fully commit to FCAS, which is meant to replace France’s Rafale and Germany’s and Spain’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleets by 2040.

Defense ministers from France, Germany, and Spain met in mid-December 2025 but failed to resolve core disagreements.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to discuss the program in the same week, highlighting that FCAS disputes have escalated from industrial governance into a top-level political issue.

Rejection Of Parallel Aircraft Ideas

Asked about media reports suggesting France and Germany might pursue two separate fighter aircraft under a shared framework, Trappier dismissed the idea outright.

“Nobody has talked to me about two aircraft,” he told Reuters, rejecting the notion that such an arrangement could resolve current deadlock.

According to sources cited in recent coverage, a decision to move FCAS into its next phase, including a flyable demonstrator, is unlikely before the end of 2025.

Some officials have privately described the full fighter program as “very unlikely,” underscoring the depth of skepticism surrounding Europe’s most ambitious air combat project.