Dassault Aviation is pressing ahead with a French-led future combat-air demonstrator after the collapse of FCAS, with a concept aircraft now under discussion for a possible 2031 first flight. The shift follows the termination of the Franco-German fighter track over industrial control and diverging operational demands, including France’s carrier requirement that Germany did not share. Dassault is now talking to the French state about a solo path or a narrower partnership, aiming to preserve design authority, stealth integration and propulsion expertise outside the broken multinational framework. The move also puts fresh pressure on the Safran-MTU engine workshare, whose FCAS funding and common requirement set are now in doubt.