PARIS — France proposed to partners Germany and Spain to “rethink” the work share on the Future Combat Air System project in order to stick to a schedule that would see a future fighter enter into service from 2040 onwards, the country’s Directorate General for Armament said.

While the program has made significant progress, including deciding on the shape of the fighter demonstrator, it’s currently encountering difficulties, the DGA told Defense News in an emailed reply to questions. France therefore recently proposed to its partners to redesign their cooperation based on “strengthening industrial leadership,” the armaments agency said.

“France, as the program’s lead nation, is proposing to its government and industrial partners that they draw lessons from the first years of cooperation in order to continue to ensure that the schedule is met and the project is successful,” the DGA said. “The principle and details of this redesigned cooperation are currently being discussed with the partners.”

The French proposal comes amid reports that plane maker Dassault Aviation is seeking a greater share in some parts of the program. The company’s CEO Eric Trappier has said questions over governance within the project need to be sorted out before the fighter moves into phase 2, which includes building a fighter demonstrator.

While Dassault is the lead company for the development of a new warplane within the overall combat system, Trappier has repeatedly complained about delays due to bickering over work share with partner Airbus, representing Germany and Spain for the fighter segment.

The company declined to comment on the press reports about it seeking a bigger share.

Airbus officially still expects FCAS to be fully operational by 2040, whereas Trappier has repeatedly said the incurred delays mean 2045 is more likely for the fighter. The DGA has previously said it expects phase 2 of FCAS to start early 2026.

With FCAS designed to ensure future air superiority in a contested environment, but also a project that will contribute to French strategic missions from 2040 onwards, “it is therefore essential that the schedule is adhered to,” the DGA said.

One of the roles of the FCAS fighter will be to carry the air-launched component of France’s nuclear deterrent, currently handled by Dassault’s Rafale jet.

Airbus makes the Eurofighter that equips the German and Spanish air forces, and which doesn’t have a nuclear role.

The program has met four critical milestones, and the current difficulties are “inherent in a program of this scale and ambition,” according to the DGA, which described FCAS as a project of “unprecedented complexity.”

Discussions on revamping the FCAS cooperation don’t call into question the goals and overall balance of the project, which is a “program of equals,” the armaments directorate said.

However, the ongoing talks will “lead to a reworking of the division of labor between each industrial player,” the DGA said. “Each player’s share of the work is not a given but will be the result of discussions between the partners.”

Trappier has said he would prefer cooperation to be modeled on the French-led nEUROn project to develop a stealth drone, which involved six countries working together, with Dassault the leader.

FCAS is a key program for European sovereignty in defense, and continuing the program is of strategic interest for France, which is “firmly committed” to the project, according to the DGA.

France, Germany and Spain in December 2022 awarded Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Indra Sistemas and Eumet a €3.2 billion ($3.7 billion) contract for phase 1B of the program, covering research, technology and overall design.