The collapse of the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter program has forced Berlin into one of the most difficult defense decisions of the modern era: how to equip the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, with a next-generation combat aircraft by 2035.
For years, FCAS was intended to become Europe’s flagship sixth-generation fighter program — a symbol of European strategic autonomy and industrial cooperation. However, deep disagreements between Germany and France over leadership, industrial workshare, intellectual property rights, and control of key technologies gradually pushed the project into crisis.
With the future of FCAS uncertain and the partnership effectively broken, Germany is now examining multiple alternatives to avoid a major capability gap in future air combat.
Speaking to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), Defense Minister Boris Pistorius outlined three main options currently being considered by Berlin.
The first option is ordering additional Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets as a temporary bridge solution. The second is joining an already existing sixth-generation fighter program. The third is launching a completely new German-led combat aircraft project with domestic companies, including Airbus, playing a central role.
“Those are basically the three options currently on the table,” Pistorius said.
However, he added that “a fourth option may emerge, but I do not want to discuss that right now. Still, yes — it is conceivable and remains one of the possibilities.”
That undisclosed fourth option has attracted significant attention because the three publicly identified choices all come with major limitations.
Germany has already committed to purchasing 35 F-35A stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin. The agreement was finalized in 2022, and the first German aircraft has entered final assembly, with deliveries expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
The aircraft are expected to arrive by 2029 and achieve full operational capability around 2030.
The F-35 will provide Germany with a highly advanced fifth-generation capability, including stealth technology, advanced sensors, and network-centric warfare capabilities. However, it is not a replacement for a future sixth-generation fighter.
Earlier this year, reports suggested Berlin was considering purchasing 15 additional F-35s, increasing the fleet size to 50 aircraft. Germany later denied those reports.
Even if Germany expands its F-35 fleet, the aircraft would primarily serve as a bridge capability rather than a long-term answer.
The only way the F-35 route could evolve into a next-generation solution would be through deeper cooperation with Lockheed Martin on an advanced “F-35 Ferrari” concept — a highly upgraded variant incorporating future technologies.
However, by the mid-2030s, Germany’s closest allies and competitors are expected to move beyond fifth-generation fighters.
China is already testing two next-generation fighter aircraft. The United States is developing the sixth-generation Boeing F-47 under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, with flight testing expected later this decade. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan are developing the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) fighter.
France also plans to continue its own next-generation aviation programs.
If Germany relies only on additional F-35s, it risks operating a technologically older fleet while other major air powers transition toward sixth-generation platforms.
Germany to join an existing sixth-generation fighter effort.
The most obvious candidate is GCAP, the trilateral program involving the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan.
For much of 2025 and early 2026, as tensions within FCAS increased, Germany began exploring alternatives. Officials reportedly examined whether GCAP could provide a realistic path forward.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto previously indicated that Germany could potentially join GCAP in the future, while British officials signaled openness to additional partners.
After the collapse of FCAS, Italian aerospace company Leonardo S.p.A. also welcomed Germany as a potential partner.
However, joining GCAP would create its own challenges.
The program is already underway, meaning Germany would likely enter as a secondary partner rather than an equal founder. Berlin could have limited influence over aircraft design, industrial arrangements, technology decisions, and future upgrades.
Germany experienced similar problems within FCAS, where disagreements over leadership and industrial control contributed to the project’s failure.
A new partnership does not automatically guarantee a stronger German role.
Germany could attempt to develop its own indigenous next-generation combat aircraft.
Under this plan, Airbus and other German defense companies would lead the effort.
However, Germany has not independently designed and produced a fighter aircraft since World War II.
German industry has extensive aviation experience, but its fighter programs have always been multinational collaborations.
The Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet involved cooperation with France. The Panavia Tornado was developed with the United Kingdom and Italy. The Eurofighter Typhoon was created with the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.
Building a sixth-generation fighter requires enormous technological expertise in areas such as stealth shaping, advanced propulsion, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, sensor fusion, electronic warfare, and combat networking.
Creating such an aircraft from scratch by 2035 would be an extremely difficult timeline.
The German defense minister’s reference to a possible fourth option has become the most interesting part of the debate.
German Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann recently stated that whatever future system Germany chooses must remain focused on a crewed combat aircraft capable of operating within a connected combat cloud.
He also emphasized that the Luftwaffe needs the new capability by 2035.
These comments suggest Germany is not looking only for a temporary solution. Berlin wants a true next-generation manned fighter capability.
Two additional possibilities appear to fit this requirement.
The first is rebuilding FCAS with a different partner by replacing France’s Dassault Aviation with Sweden’s Saab.
Saab has decades of experience independently developing fighter aircraft, with its latest platform being the Saab JAS 39 Gripen E.
A partnership between Germany, Sweden, and Spain could combine German industrial strength, Saab’s fighter-development experience, and Airbus expertise.
Airbus has already suggested it is open to working with Saab on a future sixth-generation aircraft.
Airbus Defense CEO Michael Schoellhorn stated that the company remains interested in next-generation fighter development and that cooperation with Sweden and Saab is among the possibilities.
A German-Swedish-Spanish fighter project could provide Berlin more influence than joining GCAP as a junior partner.
The second possibility is purchasing the US-developed F-47.
The F-47 is expected to become the successor to the US Air Force’s current air superiority fleet and could begin flight testing later this decade, with introduction expected in the early 2030s.
The United States has already indicated that allied nations could eventually receive export versions of the aircraft.
When announcing Boeing’s victory in the NGAD fighter competition, former US President Donald Trump said allies were interested in purchasing the aircraft and suggested future export versions could be modified for foreign customers.
While he described these as “toned-down versions,” a German aircraft would more likely be a customized configuration designed around NATO requirements.
Germany is already a close US ally, and Washington approved Berlin’s F-35 purchase through the Foreign Military Sales program. A future F-47 export arrangement cannot be ruled out.
Buying more F-35s offers a reliable but temporary answer. Joining GCAP provides access to a mature sixth-generation effort but could limit German influence. Creating a national fighter program offers maximum independence but carries enormous technological and financial risks.
The mysterious fourth option may ultimately determine Germany’s future position in advanced air combat.
Whether Berlin chooses Saab, Boeing’s F-47, an upgraded F-35 partnership, or another undisclosed path, one objective is clear: Germany wants a next-generation fighter capability operational by 2035.
The failure of FCAS has ended one European aviation dream. The next decision will determine whether Germany remains a major player in the future of air warfare — or becomes dependent on others for its next generation of combat aircraft.
