FCAS partners move to next phase
A model of FCAS was unveiled at the 2019 Paris Air Show. (Photo: German MoD)
Tripartite agreement sets Phase 1B of NGWS/FCAS in motion.
The New Generation Weapon System/Future Combat Air System (NGWS/FCAS) programme is moving to its next phase, after the governments of France, Germany and Spain signed an agreement on 17 May.
Phase 1B aims to deliver a flight-capable fighter aircraft by 2027, ‘paving the way for an operational aircraft in 2040,’ French defence minister Florence Parly noted.
Negotiations between French procurement agency DGA, its Spanish counterpart DGAM and the German MoD ‘enabled a balanced agreement between the different partners to be reached for the next step in the demonstration phase of the programme’, the three governments announced in a joint statement.
‘The relevant government agreements are ready for national processes to be started for formal validation,’ they added.
The NGWS will be fully integrated with individual national combat air systems. It will comprise a New Generation Fighter, Remote Carriers and a Combat Cloud ‘designed to achieve information mastery’, the statement continued.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Spain]
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![“We need GCAP” to face evolving threats says RAF chief]()
“We need GCAP” to face evolving threats says RAF chief
The UK Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) chief of the air staff discussed the current state of the RAF and its need to be “match fit” for a changing warfare threat.
-
![UAE receives first additional A330 MRTT]()
UAE receives first additional A330 MRTT
The arrival of this aircraft boosts the UAE’s fleet of tankers up to four, following its order for an additional two aircraft in 2021.
-
![Gray Eagle UAS makes first ship-to-shore journey]()
Gray Eagle UAS makes first ship-to-shore journey
The Gray Eagle short take-off and landing (STOL) UAS has a different engine, wings, control surfaces and landing gear to earlier Gray Eagles, and is a production variant of the demonstrator Mojave UAS.
-
![Collins Aerospace wins $19 million contract to upgrade RAF CH-47 Chinooks]()
Collins Aerospace wins $19 million contract to upgrade RAF CH-47 Chinooks
The Chinook cockpit upgrade will enhance the UK RAF’s Chinooks’ collaboration with the US and improve operational effectiveness and safety, Collins have claimed.
-
![Brazil’s Super Tucano A-29 mid-life upgrade go-ahead expected by early 2025]()
Brazil’s Super Tucano A-29 mid-life upgrade go-ahead expected by early 2025
The Brazilian Air Force is working with Embraer to bring fifth-gen capabilities to 68 of its A-29 Super Tucano training and light attack aircraft, following an agreement at the Paris Air Show in 2023.
