Airbus, Dassault reach tentative deal on FCAS fighter

Airbus and Dassault Aviation have reached a tentative deal on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter project, paving the way for political level talks to resume among the project’s three government backers France, Germany, and Spain

The FCAS program has been hounded by political differences and corporate disagreements that led to weeks of deadlock.

The joint proposal from European defense group Airbus and Dassault still faces outstanding issues, including intellectual property matters,

The FCAS is set to replace the German-Spanish Eurofighter and French Dassault Rafale with a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft from 2040.

According to Dassault CEO Eric Trappier, his company had accepted that Airbus will receive a larger overall share of FCAS work but is ready with an alternative plan if the talks failed.

The industrial partners in the FCAS program are Germany's Airbus, France’s Dassault, and Spain's Indra.

Separate engine supply negotiations have been taking place with France's Safran, Germany's MTU Aero, and ITP, a Spanish subsidiary of Rolls Royce.

The FCAS is also up against the rival BAE Systems-led Tempest fighter project of the UK, Sweden, and Italy.