France intends to develop its next-generation combat aircraft independently after the collapse of a joint fighter programme involving Germany and Spain earlier this year. Air and Space Force Chief of Staff General Jérôme Bellanger outlined the plan during a hearing before the French National Assembly’s Defence Committee.
The proposed aircraft, known as the Avion de Combat du Futur (ACF), will be pursued as a French national programme. The objective is to have the aircraft ready to undertake conventional combat missions by 2040, Bellanger said.
France is beginning preparatory work to establish the foundations for the ACF programme. Although Paris remains willing to cooperate with other countries, Bellanger indicated that international partnerships would operate under different arrangements and would not be essential to the aircraft’s development.
The decision follows the breakdown of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme involving France and Germany in June. Years of disagreements over technical requirements and industrial leadership, particularly between Dassault Aviation and Airbus, undermined the initiative. The setback has left France and Germany facing uncertainty over the long-term replacements for their Rafale and Eurofighter fleets. Germany, meanwhile, has begun receiving F-35 fighter jets ordered in 2022 to replace its ageing Panavia Tornado aircraft.
Dassault Aviation chief executive Éric Trappier has maintained that France possesses the industrial expertise needed to develop a next-generation fighter. He has pointed to the capabilities of Dassault, engine manufacturer Safran and defence-electronics specialist Thales, arguing that they could deliver the aircraft for considerably less than €50 billion (approximately US$56 billion).
Bellanger stressed that the work undertaken through FCAS would still provide valuable foundations for the French programme. Research and development covered several areas, including the next-generation fighter, unmanned systems, stealth technology, connectivity and the combat cloud. The programme was organised into separate technological workstreams, or pillars, with Dassault and Airbus jointly responsible for the next-generation fighter component.
According to Bellanger, the end of FCAS does not mean abandoning the technologies and expertise developed under the programme. France can build on this work through a national effort while continuing to prioritise interoperability with allied forces.
He emphasised that cooperation with Germany and other European partners should continue in the development of the combat cloud. Ensuring that crewed aircraft operated by different European countries can share information and coordinate effectively will be crucial. The goal, he explained, should be to enable forces to conduct integrated operations rather than simply fight alongside one another.
Although FCAS failed to deliver the intended industrial partnership, Bellanger said he maintained a constructive relationship with his German counterpart. Both military leaders share similar views on the future of air combat and support establishing common operational requirements for the combat-cloud component.
The ACF’s development schedule is closely tied to France’s nuclear deterrence requirements. Bellanger said the future aircraft must be capable of carrying the ASN4G hypersonic nuclear cruise missile by 2050. Working backwards from that deadline, the fighter needs to be operational for conventional missions by 2040. Pursuing a national programme is intended to help France meet these critical milestones.
Before the ACF enters service, France plans to introduce the Rafale F5 standard in 2035. This upgrade is expected to incorporate initial technologies associated with the future aircraft, including developments in propulsion and sensors, as well as the Stratus RS missile designed to suppress or neutralise enemy air-defence systems.
Bellanger also commented on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the sixth-generation fighter initiative led by the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan. He suggested that GCAP is pursuing a substantially different aircraft concept, describing it as closer to a strategic bomber in some respects. He also cautioned that multinational defence projects inevitably involve compromises and that cooperation within the GCAP partnership is not without difficulties.
Beyond the fighter programme, France is preparing to expand its use of uncrewed systems. Bellanger said the Air and Space Force expects to receive its first long-range, one-way attack munitions in summer 2027. MBDA’s Deluge drone is expected to provide the foundation for France’s first squadron dedicated to bombing and reconnaissance drones.
The service is also testing interceptor drones as part of plans to establish a specialised unit for countering hostile unmanned aircraft. In parallel, it intends to create a high-altitude squadron equipped with stratospheric balloons. These platforms could support communications relays, carry intelligence-gathering sensors or provide persistent surveillance. Tethered balloons and other long-endurance systems are also being considered.
France’s future strike doctrine is expected to make extensive use of expendable drones to overwhelm and weaken enemy air defences. According to Bellanger, the planned squadron will employ large numbers of relatively inexpensive systems in an initial wave. These drones could carry out kinetic attacks or conduct electronic and other non-kinetic operations, including jamming, saturation and deception.
A subsequent wave of reusable but expendable drones would then seek to open gaps in the opposing defences, enabling deeper strikes by both crewed aircraft and uncrewed platforms.
Bellanger said future operations against targets inside enemy territory would require new approaches that combine low-cost attack drones with offensive electronic-warfare capabilities. Overwhelming air defences through coordinated drone attacks and electronic disruption is expected to become an important element of France’s evolving air-combat strategy.
