FCAS demonstrator phase to start in 2017
Senior officials from the UK and France signed an agreement on 16 December that will enable the next phase of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme to begin, following a two-year feasibility study.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that the next phase will be a €2 billion (£1.5 billion) demonstrator programme, which will begin in late 2017.
The programme will develop two full-scale UCAS operational demonstrators by 2025 which will be used for operational test and evaluation and, according to the UK MoD, could serve as the basis for a future operational capability beyond 2030.
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