Le monde 20 nov 2022 After a year of uncertainty, France and Germany finally announced on Friday, November 18, that they had reached a new agreement to launch the next phase of development of the future "sixth generation" European fighter aircraft. This stage involves the construction of a demonstrator, which is essential for the success of this project. Also known as the "future combat air system" (FCAS), which is expected to replace the French Rafale (made by Dassault Aviation) and the Eurofighter Typhoon (Airbus) by 2040. "Profound technical disagreements between Dassault and Airbus Defence and Space, particularly on sharing intellectual property on flight controls, have slowed the progress of the FCAS. Of all the players in this vast 100-billion euro, Franco-German industrial project launched in 2017, and which Spain joined at the end of 2019, Dassault is the party with the most to lose."