France has formally informed Berlin that it wants an 80 percent industrial workshare in the Future Combat Air System, the €100 billion next-generation fighter jet program run jointly with Germany and Spain. The request would upend the long-standing principle of equal participation among the three nations and risks reigniting political tensions that have repeatedly delayed the initiative. Paris backs Dassault Aviation’s push for greater control of the project’s Next Generation Fighter segment, according to people familiar with the talks. Dassault Chief Executive Officer Éric Trappier, who has complained that Airbus’s German and Spanish units currently hold two-thirds of the voting power, said he is "very reluctant" to continue unless governance rules are overhauled and warned that his company could develop the aircraft alone if necessary. Airbus oversees major portions of the €3.2 billion Phase 1 demonstrator contract signed in 2022, but Phase 2—covering flight prototypes—has yet to start amid the dispute. A shift to an 80 percent French share would greatly reduce Airbus’s role and could jeopardize the consortium’s target of fielding the aircraft around 2040 to replace Rafale and Eurofighter fleets.