Future Combat Air System (FCAS)

German and Spanish companies involved in the defunct Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program are urging their governments to maintain funding for sixth-generation fighter jet expertise. The companies, including Airbus and Indra, argue that a funding lapse would cause irreversible expertise loss and advocate for multinational collaboration, potentially aligning with programs like the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

A defense industry group led by Airbus submitted a position paper to the German government outlining contributions to the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project. The group, called 'Team Gen 6,' includes companies like Diehl Defence and MBDA, but the move is not a new project launch following the collapse of a previous Franco-German effort. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged ongoing discussions about FCAS challenges without specifying next steps.