Dassault Ponders Post-FCAS Future French Fighter

Dassault Aviation appears optimistic about a potential French future fighter, with a new concept demonstrator aiming to fly as early as 2031 or 2032. However, in the wake of the collapse in early June of the tri-national Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, Dassault has yet to decide if it will find a new partner or go it alone. 

Addressing the company’s second quarter earnings results in a call on July 23, Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier revealed that discussions are underway “to launch an alternative with France, on a purely French basis initially, or in co-operation of those who might wish to join this demonstrator.” The demonstrator aircraft is set to fly in early 2031 or 2023 and will be “based on French requirements,” he confirmed. 

Differing roles for a potential aircraft, along with issues surrounding workshare allocation and design authority, were key in FCAS’ final collapse. The program was launched with French and German government backing in 2018, with Spain subsequently joining in 2020, with Dassault and the pan-European Airbus as the leading industrial partners.

“It’s not so much a matter between France and Germany. It’s Dassault and Airbus. Two-thirds Airbus, one-third Dassault was a problem for me,”  Trappier stated. Instead, he advocated that a 50-50 cooperation would be far preferable. 

In early July, Trappier publicly suggested that France was still open to collaboration post-FCAS, telling a French Senate committee that Dassault “are capable of cooperating… but we want to cooperate with rules that are accepted from the start.” At the time, he also suggested that these partners need not be exclusively European. 

Responding to questions during the earnings call, Trappier declined to comment on a potential collaboration with Sweden—a nation also determining whether it should partner up for its thus far independently-pursued Koncept för Framtida Stridsflygplan program. Nevertheless, Trappier concluded that the time is right to “really take the plunge” in assessing future options.  

Tensions between Dassault and Airbus remain rife, however, particularly within the multinational Eurodrone project. Accusing Airbus of having attempted to exclude it from the venture, “we challenged that decision and that litigation has just got underway,” said Trappier.