An Airbus-led alliance of eight defense companies will launch Team Gen 6, a German-led sixth-generation fighter project intended to replace the collapsed Franco-German Future Combat Air System program, during Berlin's ILA air show on June 11, Euronews reported on June 10, citing Airbus.

Berlin and Paris formally abandoned the FCAS program on June 8. Launched in 2017 by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron as Europe's flagship defense project — and joined by Spain in 2019 — the 100 billion euro ($116 billion) initiative envisioned a networked system of jets, drones and sensors replacing the Rafale and Eurofighter from 2040. Persistent disputes between France's Dassault and Airbus' German defense arm over workshare and design control paralyzed progress, escalating after Dassault demanded program leadership in summer 2025, while Paris and Berlin diverged over requirements: France sought a lighter, carrier-capable jet for its nuclear deterrent, Germany a heavier air-superiority fighter.