Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier has warned that governance disputes with Airbus are putting Europe’s flagship Future Combat Air System fighter programme at risk. Trappier told reporters that key decisions in the current design phase must be cleared with Airbus, adding complexity and delays. He insisted Dassault should hold clear leadership of the next-generation jet—backed by France, Germany and Spain—rejecting reports that the company is seeking 80 % control but arguing that the project cannot move forward without a single industrial leader. The sixth-generation SCAF project, launched in 2017 and now in Phase 1B through 2026, is meant to deliver a demonstrator aircraft by 2028-29 and to replace France’s Rafale and Germany’s Eurofighter fleets from 2040. However, repeated clashes between Dassault, which is designing the core fighter, and Airbus, representing German and Spanish interests, have stalled progress. Trappier said Dassault is weighing whether the programme can ‘continue or not’ under the current structure; Airbus has declined to comment, saying earlier that governance had been settled. The latest remarks come ahead of a Berlin meeting on Wednesday between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where the future of SCAF is expected to feature prominently. The two leaders are under pressure to resolve the impasse as Europe seeks to strengthen its defence capabilities and to keep pace with the rival UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Programme.