Airbus Eyes Saab for New Fighter Partnership After €100 Billion FCAS Collapse
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 10
Airbus Eyes Saab for New Fighter Partnership After €100 Billion FCAS Collapse
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 10
Summary
Airbus has held broad exploratory talks with Saab for at least six months and now sees the Swedish group as a leading future fighter partner after the Franco-German FCAS breakup.
Michael Schoellhorn, Airbus Defence & Space CEO, confirmed Saab is among the options, while Saab said any cooperation would depend on government decisions rather than industry alone.
The opening comes as Airbus and Dassault are expected to formalize their split at the Berlin Airshow, freeing Airbus to pursue a Nordic tie-up more openly after keeping earlier contacts largely conceptual.
Other paths remain in play: Leonardo said Germany could join the Britain-Italy-Japan GCAP program, though analysts say its 2035 deadline would likely leave Berlin only a junior role.
The collapse of the 9-year FCAS effort underscores how hard it is to align European military and industrial priorities, with the next choice set to shape the continent's air power for decades.