Dassault and Airbus have been fighting over dominance for many years, and the joint Franco-German project was declared a failure in June. Safran and MTU have also just terminated joint engine research and development work. France said it will independently develop fighter jets. Dassault plans to launch a verification aircraft in 2031, but skeptics believe that this model will only be a “Super Storm” and not a real sixth-generation stealth fighter. Germany is in an awkward situation; it can only seek to join the Anglo-Italian-Japanese “Storm” project as a secondary partner. The general opinion of the industry: Europe cannot afford three competing fighter plans, and even two are difficult to afford. One consultant said bluntly: The project did not confirm an order. CEO Leonardo said it was a good thing that Germany joined as a strong funder, but also acknowledged that the addition of new members might cause the project to be postponed.

Dassault and Airbus have been fighting over dominance for many years, and the joint Franco-German project was declared a failure in June. Safran and MTU have also just terminated joint engine research and development work. France said it will independently develop fighter jets. Dassault plans to launch a verification aircraft in 2031, but skeptics believe that this model will only be a “Super Storm” and not a real sixth-generation stealth fighter. Germany is in an awkward situation; it can only seek to join the Anglo-Italian-Japanese “Storm” project as a secondary partner. The general opinion of the industry: Europe cannot afford three competing fighter plans, and even two are difficult to afford. One consultant said bluntly: The project did not confirm an order. CEO Leonardo said it was a good thing that Germany joined as a strong funder, but also acknowledged that the addition of new members might cause the project to be postponed.