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Europe’s most ambitious effort to build a homegrown sixth-generation fighter jet has collapsed, dealing a major blow to the continent’s push for military independence just as NATO allies pledge historic increases in defense spending.
France and Germany have abandoned the fighter jet portion of the Future Combat Air System project (FCAS), according to French and German officials — a roughly $116 billion project launched in 2017 to develop a next-generation combat aircraft intended to replace France’s Rafale fighter and Germany and Spain’s Eurofighter fleets by 2040.
“The German authorities considered that it was not possible to put further pressure on the companies concerned,” the Élysée Palace, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron, said in a statement.
The program was envisioned as Europe’s answer to future U.S. and Chinese airpower, combining a stealth fighter with advanced networking capabilities, artificial intelligence and accompanying drone aircraft. European leaders also viewed it as a cornerstone of the continent’s push for greater defense autonomy and a stronger domestic defense-industrial base.
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Concerns about the project’s viability had been building for months. Earlier in 2026, European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius described the program as a “failure” and warned that Europe lacked successful examples of major multinational defense projects.
Its collapse now raises fresh questions about whether Europe can translate promises of rearmament and strategic autonomy into the complex multinational weapons programs needed to compete with the United States and China.
Sixth-generation fighters are expected to combine stealth technology, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, networking systems and teams of accompanying drones. Military planners view them as the future of air combat and a key capability in potential conflicts involving major powers such as China or Russia.
European leaders viewed the program as a test of whether Europe could develop cutting-edge military technology without relying on American defense contractors, making its collapse a setback for broader ambitions of defense self-sufficiency and strategic autonomy.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had publicly questioned whether Germany would even need a manned sixth-generation fighter by the time the aircraft entered service and argued that Berlin’s requirements differed from France’s, which wanted a future jet capable of carrying nuclear weapons and operating from aircraft carriers.
The collapse comes at a pivotal moment for NATO, as alliance members have committed to sharply increase defense spending and expand military capabilities in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing concerns about long-term European security.
“It’s hardly ideal signalling either to Washington or to Moscow,” Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Reuters.
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The collapse underscored the depth of disagreements between the governments and industrial partners involved in the program.
Macron’s office said France would continue pursuing European defense cooperation despite the setback.
“The French authorities will continue to encourage our companies and armed forces to explore ways and means of pursuing ambitious European projects that are consistent with our national security interests,” it added.
The fighter program’s collapse also is raising questions about the future of other major European defense initiatives.
France and Germany have struggled to maintain momentum on the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), a next-generation tank project, while several other joint defense efforts have faced delays, restructuring or cancellation in recent years.
Defense analysts say the Future Combat Air System failure is the latest example of Europe’s struggle to convert political commitments to military self-sufficiency into large-scale multinational defense programs, despite growing pressure to reduce reliance on U.S. military capabilities.
German War Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin already is evaluating alternatives following the program’s collapse.
“One is ordering more F-35s as a bridge solution or for whatever reason,” Pistorius told reporters Tuesday. Other options include joining another international fighter program already underway or pursuing a separate aircraft effort under German leadership with Airbus and other partners.
Pistorius also offered a blunt assessment of the failed effort.
“With what we know today, we would no longer launch this project in the way it was originally set up,” he said, describing FCAS as “an ambitious European project” that had “crashed into reality.”
He attributed the collapse largely to tensions between Airbus and Dassault and differing military requirements between France and Germany.
Germany and France launched the Future Combat Air System project in 2017, with Spain joining two years later. The aircraft was designed to operate alongside drones and a highly networked “combat cloud,” but the program had been edging toward collapse for months amid disputes over design authority, technology sharing and industrial control.
French President Emmanuel Macron has long championed the concept of European “strategic autonomy,” arguing that Europe should reduce its dependence on the United States for critical defense capabilities. The Future Combat Air System was widely viewed as one of the most important tests of that vision.
But disagreements emerged over industrial leadership, intellectual property rights, technology sharing and the future design of the aircraft itself. France sought to preserve key sovereign capabilities tied to its nuclear deterrent and aircraft carrier operations, while Germany pushed for a more equal industrial partnership.
The program’s failure leaves uncertainty over how France, Germany and Spain will pursue future air combat capabilities. It also comes as a rival sixth-generation fighter effort — the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), led by the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan — continues to advance.
The failure could also reinforce Europe’s dependence on American defense technology at a time when many European leaders say they want to reduce it.
Germany already has committed to purchasing U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, while numerous NATO allies have turned to American-made aircraft, missile defenses and long-range weapons systems since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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While France is unlikely to abandon its domestic aerospace industry, analysts say the demise of the Future Combat Air System project could make it harder for European governments seeking alternatives to American defense technology in the coming decades.
The Pentagon repeatedly has welcomed greater European defense spending but also has emphasized the need for allies to deliver tangible capabilities rather than make promises that take decades to materialize.
The Pentagon and NATO could not immediately be reached for comment.
The U.S. is pursuing multiple next-generation combat aircraft programs.
Earlier in 2026, President Donald Trump announced the Air Force’s new F-47 fighter jet, while the Navy continues development of its separate F/A-XX carrier-based fighter program.
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China also is pursuing next-generation air combat systems and has conducted highly publicized test flights of advanced aircraft that defense analysts believe could be connected to Beijing’s sixth-generation fighter efforts.
The collapse leaves Europe without a clear continental path toward a sixth-generation fighter capability while both the United States and China continue advancing next-generation combat aircraft programs.
France, Germany and Spain must now decide whether to pursue separate national efforts, seek new industrial partners or deepen reliance on existing aircraft and foreign-made systems as pressure mounts to deliver on Europe’s rearmament ambitions.
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