The BDLI said in a leaked memo that Dassault’s push to assume full design authority over the FCAS fighter aircraft is “no longer compatible with the idea of cooperation.” The French company, backed by its government, reportedly seeks 80% of the work share, raising alarm in Germany that the partnership has become imbalanced.

Airbus and Spain’s Indra Sistemas are co-developing the FCAS with Dassault. But recent moves by Dassault, including at the Paris Air Show, to renegotiate previously agreed roles have stirred deep frustration. Airbus Defense chief Michael Schoellhorn publicly accused Dassault of undermining the agreement.

The FCAS project aims to replace the Eurofighter jet and is vital to Europe's defense posture. However, BDLI warned that “a one-sided, uncooperative claim” could render the entire initiative meaningless.

European Defense Unity at Stake

Dassault CEO Eric Trappier has stood firm, citing the company’s leadership of the Rafale program as justification for a dominant FCAS role. He also hinted Dassault could walk away from the partnership, echoing its withdrawal from the Eurofighter program in the 1980s.

BDLI, which represents over 260 aerospace firms including Airbus and Rheinmetall, has called on the German government to push for a return to equal collaboration. The group stressed that the future of Europe’s airpower could be compromised if balance is not restored.

With the UK, Italy, and Japan advancing a competing fighter under the GCAP program, FCAS’s internal discord threatens to fragment European defense ambitions further.