France and Germany have extended mediators' deadline by 10 days to resolve the impasse over the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project. Dassault Aviation and Airbus remain locked in a bitter dispute over intellectual property and manufacturing control, threatening the landmark €100bn European defense collaboration. French defense minister Catherine Vautrin confirmed the extension from April 18 to April 28 despite ongoing tensions between the industrial partners.

The FCAS project, announced by Macron and Merkel in 2018, combines next-generation fighter jets with advanced weapons and drone systems. Germany and Airbus push for a two-jet solution where each country develops its own aircraft, while France insists on maintaining the original single-jet design with Dassault leading production. Current German Chancellor Merz remains skeptical the issues can be resolved, questioning the project's viability.

A collapse of FCAS would severely damage European defense cooperation efforts following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The dispute highlights persistent challenges in aligning national industrial interests within joint military programs. Both companies have exchanged public blame, with Dassault refusing to share technology and Airbus rejecting a subcontractor role, leaving European military autonomy ambitions hanging in the balance amid rising geopolitical tensions.