Airbus-led alliance lobbies Germany on fighter jet project

BERLIN — A group of defense companies led by Airbus has submitted a position paper on a sixth-generation fighter jet project to the German government, signaling an industry push to shape Europe’s future combat jet program amid uncertainty about its direction.

The group, dubbed “Team Gen 6,” comprises Airbus Defence and Space, Autoflug, Diehl Defence, Hensoldt, Liebherr, MBDA, MTU Aero Engines and Rohde & Schwarz.

The companies drafted the paper outlining their potential contribution to the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a Hensoldt spokesperson said.

The Financial Times first reported the paper.

Industry sources said the move did not amount to an attempt to launch a new fighter project following the collapse of a Franco-German flagship effort to ​develop a next-generation combat jet.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday that problems surrounding FCAS had been evident “for quite some time” and that Berlin had already been holding talks with stakeholders for months about future options. He declined to comment on leadership or next steps.

The defense ministry confirmed receipt of the paper but declined to comment. Diehl said it aimed to contribute weapons systems to any sixth-generation jet but gave no further details. MBDA declined to comment, while the other companies and the German chancellery did not respond to requests for comment.

柏林——由空中客车公司牵头的一组国防企业已向德国政府提交了一份关于第六代战斗机项目的立场文件，这标志着在形势不明朗的情况下，业界正努力塑造欧洲未来的战斗机项目。

该集团被称为“第六代团队”，成员包括空中客车防务与航天公司、Autoflug公司、Diehl防务公司、Hensoldt公司、利勃海尔公司、MBDA公司、MTU航空发动机公司和罗德与施瓦茨公司。

亨索尔特的一位发言人表示，这些公司起草了这份文件，概述了它们对未来作战空中系统（FCAS）的潜在贡献。

《金融时报》率先报道了这篇论文。

业内人士表示，此举并不意味着在法德联合研发下一代战斗机的旗舰项目失败后，试图启动一个新的战斗机项目。

德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托瑞斯周二表示，未来空中作战系统（FCAS）的问题“由来已久”，柏林方面已与各利益相关方就未来方案进行了数月的磋商。他拒绝就领导层或后续步骤发表评论。

德国国防部证实已收到该文件，但拒绝置评。迪尔公司表示，其目标是为任何第六代战机提供武器系统，但未透露更多细节。MBDA公司拒绝置评，其他公司和德国总理府均未回应置评请求。