Spanish industry calls for inclusion in new European fighter jet project after FCAS collapse

Spanish industry representatives are calling for inclusion in the new European fighter jet project following the collapse of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, daily El Pais reported Thursday.

Industry representatives of Airbus, GMV, Oesia, Indra, ITP Aero, and Sener delivered a message of unity after Europe’s ambitious FCAS had been halted following a decision by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The cancelled project was designed to develop not only a sixth-generation combat aircraft but also an integrated air warfare network incorporating both armed and unarmed drones operating alongside the fighter jet.

The initiative, considered one of Europe’s largest defense programs, aimed to strengthen the continent’s strategic autonomy and future military capabilities through cooperation between France, Germany, and Spain.

The Spanish representatives stressed the need to continue developing a future air combat system after the FCAS collapse. They signed a joint document highlighting the Spanish industry's willingness to continue developing a next-generation combat system.

Germany, meanwhile, is reportedly finalizing an industrial alliance led by Airbus, where Spain holds over a 4% stake, to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet through a project expected to be less complex than FCAS.

Spain’s government has also awarded a €700 million ($805 million) contract to Airbus and Indra to develop technologies that could be used in a future sixth-generation fighter.

"Spanish industry is placing its capabilities and resources at the disposal of Spain and its potential partners for the development of a next-generation combat system, comprising a sixth-generation fighter aircraft, unmanned platforms or carriers, advanced communications and sensors integrated through a combat cloud,” the companies further said in their joint statement.