<\/p>\n
Airbus has suggested splitting Europe\u2019s faltering future fighter jet programme into two separate warplanes, amid a dispute between manufacturers over who leads the \u20ac100bn (\u00a387bn) project.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s defence arm \u2013 which represents Germany and Spain \u2013 and the French partner, Dassault Aviation, are locked in a battle<\/a> over the jet part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a wide-ranging project that will also include autonomous drones and a futuristic \u201ccombat communications cloud\u201d.<\/p>\n Guillaume Faury, Airbus\u2019s chief executive, said on Thursday that the deadlock over the planned next-generation jet \u201cshould not jeopardise the entire future of this hi-tech European capability, which will bolster our collective defence.<\/p>\n \u201cIf mandated by our customers, we would support a two-fighter solution and are committed to playing a leading role in such a reorganised FCAS delivered through European cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, signalled that the planned warplane did not suit Germany\u2019s needs, in the latest blow to the project. The German military does not need a nuclear-capable fighter, while France does, he said on the German political podcast Machtwechsel, insisting it was \u201cnot a political dispute\u201d but a technical one between the two countries.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s FCAS, announced in 2017, has faced repeated hurdles amid Airbus and Dassault\u2019s power struggle and, more recently, over what the French and German governments want from the project. Germany, France<\/a> and Spain are expected to decide soon whether to move to the next stage of the programme as planned, or drop the jet and move forward with the other elements.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve spent a lot of time and energy to support this programme that has a number of pillars. The so-called next-generation fighter is one of those pillars, and it\u2019s important to say that the other pillars are working well and making good progress,\u201d Faury said.<\/p>\n He added that while the project was at a \u201cdifficult juncture \u2026 We continue to believe that the programme as a whole makes sense.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe if there is a way forward with two fighters, it could be an opportunity to have other partners with us, but it belongs to our customers to decide with whom they want to join forces.\u201d<\/p>\n Airbus said its annual profit jumped 23% to \u20ac5.2bn last year, but shares fell 6% on Thursday after supply chain problems forced it to cut ambitious production targets for its passenger jets.<\/p>\n The US engine maker Pratt & Whitney had failed to keep up with demand for its bestselling A320 model, Airbus said, adding that it was facing \u201csignificant shortages\u201d of engines as a result.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s largest planemaker was hoping to ramp up the production of the A320 to 75 planes a month next year, up from 60 currently, but it may now fall short, it said. Airbus plans to deliver about 870 jets to customers this year, up from 793 in 2025.<\/p>\n