Airbus-led Team Gen 6 launches German fighter jet project

A consortium of eight defense companies led by Airbus is formally launching a German-backed sixth-generation fighter jet project, aiming to fill the void left by the collapse of a major European defense program. The alliance, known as Team Gen 6, will hold a signing ceremony at the ILA Berlin air show on June 11, three days after Germany and France officially abandoned the long-troubled Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

The new consortium includes Airbus Defence and Space, European missile manufacturer MBDA, and six German firms: Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, MTU Aero Engines, Liebherr, Autoflug, and Rohde Schwarz. The group has submitted a position paper to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius urging the government to ensure a complete and timely awarding of contracts by the second half of 2026.

The initiative follows the termination of the FCAS program on June 8 after months of unresolved tensions between the main industrial partners, Airbus and France's Dassault Aviation. Launched in 2017 and later joined by Spain, the multibillion-euro FCAS was intended as a flagship of European defense cooperation, aiming to develop an advanced warplane, unmanned drones, and a networked combat...