I do not want to be politically controversial, this is just an historical fiction
With Trump's decission to abandon NATO, UK performs a second Brexit from NATO too. NATO is completely disbanded. Europen continental countries remain alone in front of a progresively more agressive Russia. France is the only nuclear power.
In this state of things, EU countries decide to extend the European Treaty to defense issues too. Main countries, by population, (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland) begin 2 big join projects:
1- to produce last generation nuclear weapons
2- to design a strategic bomber. Airbus will be main contractor
Here are 2 proposals
Less ambitious A450
and ambitious stealth A460