As well a renewed push to sell Eurofi ghters
to Germany as a Tornado replacement, Airbus
is touting a further developed Typhoon as a
technological pathway to the new FCAS. EurofighterEditor: Thomas Newdick
Assistant Editor: Jamie Hunter
World Air Forces Correspondent: Alan Warnes
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Thomas Newdick
Email at:
[email protected]Comment
F
rance and Germany have taken the
first steps towards co-developing a
future fighter. Defence ministers from
the countries signed an agreement launching
the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) in
Berlin on April 26. FCAS, known in France
as Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF),
is planned to include a piloted component,
secure communications, missiles and
“highly connected drones able to act either
autonomously or within a system of systems”.
FCAS will be led by Dassault Aviation
and also involves Airbus Defence & Space.
It aims to replace France’s Rafale and
Germany’s Eurofighter between 2035 and- The French requirement calls for a
fighter capable of operating from an aircraft
carrier. On the German side, FCAS would
appear to strike a blow to the chances of
procuring the F-35 for the Luftwaffe.
It’s notable too, that Dassault is leading
the project – an acknowledgement of the
firm’s experience of ‘going it alone’ in
the field and, perhaps, a reflection of the
difficulties that have beset the Airbus A400M
airlifter. Airbus does, however, get to lead
the multinational effort to develop a new
medium-altitude long-endurance drone.
“Never before has Europe been more
determined to safeguard and foster its political
and industrial autonomy and sovereignty in
the defence sector,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of
Airbus Defence & Space. “The schedule is
tight, so we need to start working together
immediately by defining a joint roadmap
on how best to meet the requirements and
timelines to be set by the two nations.”
Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of
Dassault Aviation, confirmed that the
companies’ plans include developing
demonstrators for the FCAS from 2025.
Meanwhile, the UK is considering what willcome after Typhoon production ends at Warton- and how to replace that jet in Royal Air Force
service from 2040. (Confusingly, France and
the UK are pursuing a separate initiative also
known as FCAS – for an unmanned combat
aircraft – although this seems to have stalled
since the UK voted to leave the European
Union.) Clearly, France and Germany consider
that pooling their high-tech resources is the
best way to field a next-generation combat
aircraft on what is a relatively tight schedule.
And they’ve said they may even consider
letting the UK join the programme...
Towards a new Euro-fi ghter
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #363 JUNE 2018 // 3