Airbus suggests split solution for Europe’s faltering fighter jet programme
Airbus has suggested splitting Europe’s faltering future fighter jet programme into two separate warplanes, amid a dispute between manufacturers over who leads the €100bn (£87bn) project.The company’s defence arm – which represents Germany and Spain – and the French partner, Dassault Aviation, are locked in a battle over the jet part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a wide-ranging project that will also include autonomous drones and a futuristic “combat communications cloud”.Guillaume Faury, Airbus’s chief executive, said on Thursday that the deadlock over the planned next-generation jet “should not jeopardise the entire future of this hi-tech European capability, which will bolster our collective defence.“If mandated by our customers, we would support a two-fighter solution and are committed to playing a leading role in such a reorganised FCAS delivered through European cooperation.”Earlier this week, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, signalled that the planned warplane did not suit Germany’s needs, in the latest blow to the project.
The German military does not need a nuclear-capable fighter, while France does, he said on the German political podcast Machtwechsel, insisting it was “not a political dispute” but a technical one between the two countries.Europe’s FCAS, announced in 2017, has faced repeated hurdles amid Airbus and Dassault’s power struggle and, more recently, over what the French and German governments want from the project.Germany, France and Spain are expected to decide soon whether to move to the next stage of the programme as planned, or drop the jet and move forward with the other elements.“We’ve spent a lot of time and energy to support this programme that has a number of pillars.The so-called next-generation fighter is one of those pillars, and it’s important to say that the other pillars are working well and making good progress,” Faury said.
He added that while the project was at a “difficult juncture … We continue to believe that the programme as a whole makes sense,“We believe if there is a way forward with two fighters, it could be an opportunity to have other partners with us, but it belongs to our customers to decide with whom they want to join forces,”Airbus said its annual profit jumped 23% to €5,2bn last year, but shares fell 6% on Thursday after supply chain problems forced it to cut ambitious production targets for its passenger jets,The US engine maker Pratt & Whitney had failed to keep up with demand for its bestselling A320 model, Airbus said, adding that it was facing “significant shortages” of engines as a result.
The world’s largest planemaker was hoping to ramp up the production of the A320 to 75 planes a month next year, up from 60 currently, but it may now fall short, it said.Airbus plans to deliver about 870 jets to customers this year, up from 793 in 2025.The supply issue compounds Airbus’s issues with the A320 after it found a problem with the fuselage panels that forced it to inspect hundreds of jets in December.Airbus’s deliveries in January sank to their lowest point in any month since 2020, which Faury said was down to the inspections.The drop has helped its rival Boeing, which after years of crises delivered 600 commercial jets, its highest number since 2018.
Colbert on Trump’s Epstein ties: ‘Apparently he does not know the meaning of exonerated’
Stephen Colbert spoke about Donald Trump’s bizarre reaction to more Jeffrey Epstein questions and how Americans are struggling to feel optimism.On the Late Show, the host brought up a new Gallup poll, which shows that Americans are less hopeful than ever, with optimism at a new low.The number has reached into the 50s after previously landing at 69%. “Back then the future looked … nice,” he said.Trump has also seen his approval rating fall to a new second-term low of 36%
‘He invented a style’: war chronicler Robert Capa refashioned himself and revolutionised photography
It is not often that you get to see a war photographer at work. Certainly not one who more or less defines our idea of the profession as it exists today, is widely considered to be its greatest practitioner and has been dead for more than 70 years.But as part of its new retrospective, the Museum of the Liberation of Paris has produced a short but remarkable candid film of Robert Capa on the job. He is largely unaware he is being filmed and the cameramen mostly do not know they are filming him.The researchers started with the 30 contact sheets – 24 rolls of film, about 500 photographs – the Hungarian-born photographer took on 25 and 26 August 1944, when the French capital was freed from four gruelling years of German occupation
Australian screen industry crushed as Universal shutters Matchbox Pictures, with 30 jobs lost
Universal International Studios has confirmed it will close Matchbox Pictures after nearly 20 years of operations, effectively terminating one of Australia’s most stable connections to the global market.From the suburban tension of The Slap to the global Netflix dominance of The Survivors, Matchbox served as a sturdy bridge between distinctive Australian storytelling and the glossy boardrooms of Hollywood.Universal’s withdrawal from an on-the-ground presence in Australia came as a shock to the local screen industry, given the Australian company, co-founded by Tony Ayres and Penny Chapman 18 years ago, had delivered the most successful Australian-made TV drama on Netflix for 2025, with The Survivors achieving a global audience of 28 million.Another two Matchbox productions, Safe Harbour and Nowhere Boys, won international Emmys, and the Cate Blanchett co-production Stateless won a record-breaking 13 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards from 18 nominations, including best telefeature or miniseries, best screenplay and best direction in television.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningThe Hollywood studio has removed its permanent overheads – physical offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and a full-time staff of 30 – and moved to a model where it will only invest in a project once it is active
Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton among those to condemn Berlinale’s ‘silence’ on Gaza
More than 80 current and former participants of the Berlinale, including Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton and Adam McKay have signed an open letter condemning the festival’s “silence” on Gaza.It comes after the film festival was swept up in what it called a “media storm” over the alleged sidelining of political discourse at the event.The row was triggered by a remark from the jury president, Wim Wenders, in the opening press conference that film-makers “should stay out of politics” in response to questions related to the Israel-Gaza conflict and the German government’s support for Israel.A backlash, including the withdrawal of Indian author Arundhati Roy from the event, led to festival director, Tricia Tuttle, issuing a statement defending film-makers and actors who were increasingly being pressed on political and societal issues during press conferences.“Artists are free to exercise their right of free speech in whatever way they choose,” Tuttle said
Colbert on Kristi Noem: ‘Everyone can’t wait to tell a reporter how awful you are’
With Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel off air for the Presidents’ Day holiday, Stephen Colbert focused his monologue on a Kristi Noem scandal and Maha’s new suggested way to enjoy vegetables.On Monday night’s Late Show, Colbert returned after a week off the air to focus on the Wall Street Journal’s recent exposé of Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary. The host described the piece as “the kind of article that gets published only if everyone who works for you can’t wait to tell a reporter just how awful you are”.The Journal exposé claims that Noem is jealous of the border czar, Tom Homan, and monitors her media appearances to make sure that she is on TV more than he is. The article also reports that Noem’s relationship with the Trump aide Corey Lewandowski is more than professional, and the pair are in a romantic relationship despite both being married with children
Barbican arts director to leave, months after revealing creative vision for centre
Devyani Saltzman is leaving the Barbican as the arts institution undergoes another significant leadership change just a few weeks after its new CEO joined.The shock departure of Saltzman, who became director of arts and participation at the Barbican in February 2024, comes months after she unveiled a five-year creative vision for the venue.Saltzman was named recently as one of the 40 most influential women working in the arts in the UK, and was described as the “driving force behind the organisation”.The Barbican refused to confirm the exit, with a spokesperson telling the Guardian it would be “unable to comment on individual staffing matters”.It is unclear when Saltzman will leave the organisation and there are no plans to replace her
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