FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) – Airbus, in dispute with Dassault Aviation over the next stage of the Future Air Combat System (FAS) program, is considering other options while scrambling to push the project forward as planned , said the group’s general manager, Guillaume Faury.
Aircraft manufacturers Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra are involved in the SCAF program which aims to replace the French Rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighters from 2040.
The companies carried out the first work phase of the program, called “phase 1A”, but differences concerning the sharing of tasks during the next stage, the construction of a demonstrator of the future combat aircraft (the “phase 1B “), appeared.
Dassault Aviation threatened to withdraw from the project and to implement a plan B if no agreement was reached with Airbus, without however giving the details of this plan.
Guillaume Faury stressed the importance of sticking to the current proposals, during an interview granted Reuters on the sidelines of the air show in Farnborough, England.
“There is plan A, SCAF. There are also other options, we are thinking about it, but we are working on plan A,” he said.
“We want this to happen. I don’t want to discuss Plan B. It would jeopardize the chances of getting to Plan A.”
When announcing its half-year results on Wednesday, Dassault underlined that it had been chosen as prime contractor for the main combat aircraft or future next-generation combat aircraft (NGF), Airbus being named “main partner “.
“The prime contractor/main partner relationship still needs to be clarified,” explained Dassault Aviation. “(We wish) to obtain a clear declaration of acceptance of (our) role as prime contractor by Airbus Defense and Space for the NGF (in symmetry with Eurodrone).”
Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, expressed his impatience with this impasse.
Guillaume Faury declared that an agreement between the two parties was “every day closer”, and estimated that such an agreement could even be found “this year”.
(French version Camille Raynaud)
by Tim Hepher