• Defence Notes

  Spanish MoD signs development protocol for NGWS

  17th June 2020

  The Spanish MoD on 16 June signed a General Action Protocol with national defence industry partners which establishes the mechanisms needed to protect industrial assets. …

• Digital Battlespace

  European team seeks holy grail of unifying airborne EM systems

  17th June 2020

  More light can be shed on the European Defence Agency’s (EDA’s) CROWN initiative to develop a scalable, single architecture for airborne radar, EW and communications …

• Defence Notes

  Airbus and Fraunhofer FKIE form panel on responsible tech use

  15th May 2020

  Airbus and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communications, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE) have created an independent panel of experts on the responsible use of new …

• Defence Notes

  Airbus predicts ‘lasting harm’ from German Tornado replacement acquisition

  23rd April 2020

  Airbus has revealed that a ‘regulated compromise’ will be required in order to prevent German domestic industry suffering ‘lasting harm’ if plans to buy US-made …

• Air Warfare

  Airbus, Thales sign agreement

  24th February 2020

  Airbus and Thales have signed an agreement for the development of the Air Combat Cloud for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The companies will …

• Air Warfare

  FCAS Phase 1A framework contract awarded

  13th February 2020

  The governments of France and Germany have launched the demonstrator phase for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with the issue of an initial framework …

• Defence Notes

  Defence Insight: Future market forecast (Air)

  18th December 2019

  The military fixed-wing sector was dominated by aircraft in 2019 with F-35, next-generation fighter aircraft and AWACs awards hitting the headlines.Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is the …

• Defence Notes

  ​Spanish shares increase non-starter for Airbus

  4th November 2019

  Manufacturer Airbus has officially confirmed that it will not offer the Spanish government an increased share in the company as a means to Madrid potentially …

• Defence Notes

  Germany's latest industry developments (video)

  21st November 2019

  Watch a summary of the latest developments in the German Defence Industry. Land On land KMW has begun deliveries to Denmark and Germany of the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus reveals classified ‘untrackable’ low observable UAV

  5th November 2019

  Manufacturer Airbus has shown off a classified Low Observable UAV Testbed (LOUT) for the first time, with a bold claim that the platform’s stealth profile …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  European MALE RPAS builds toward development contract signature

  6th November 2019

  Industry partners involved in the multinational European MALE RPAS effort are set to be awarded with a first full programme contract in 2020, a development that …

• Defence Notes

  Germany claims mutual consent forced FCAS demonstrator impasse

  10th October 2019

  The German MoD has strongly hinted that ‘mutually consented’ issues have prevented an anticipated FCAS demonstrator contract being issued to Airbus and Dassault, following pressure …

• Defence Notes

  France, Germany break impasse on arms exports

  17th October 2019

  France and Germany agreed on 16 October on an accord governing the export of jointly developed weapons and defence equipment, removing a key stumbling block …

• Defence Notes

  Spain selects industrial coordinator for FCAS

  12th September 2019

  Indra has been appointed by the Spanish government as the national industrial coordinator of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the company announced …

• Defence Notes

  DSEI 2019: Tempest inks Italian pact hailed as ‘natural’ partnership

  11th September 2019

  The UK and Italian governments have formally agreed to partner on the future fighter Tempest programme, by way of a statement of intent pact signed …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Germany]

  Background Requirement The FCAS programme is based on the system-of-systems design, envisioning a "command fighter" aircraft that has stand-alone combat capability as well as controlling ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Spain]

  Programme Background Programme Timeline The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) was publicly announced in July 2017, followed by a Franco-German agreement in 2018. At the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [France]

  Programme Background The governments of France and Germany have launched the demonstrator phase for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with the issue of an ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS) (FCAS) [Germany]

  Programme Background FCAS Project As noted by Airbus, the FCAS project is a tri-nation effort which will be centred around a core Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS), which ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Loyal Wingman [France]

  Programme Background Rafale F5 Companion During a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the French Strategic Air Forces (FAS) at Saint-Dizier Air Base in October 2024, France's Minister of ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS) (FCAS) [France]

  Programme Background FCAS Project As noted by Airbus, the FCAS project is a tri-nation effort which will be centred around a core Next-Generation Weapon System ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS) (FCAS) [Spain]

  Programme Background FCAS Project As noted by Airbus, the FCAS project is a tri-nation effort which will be centred around a core Next-Generation Weapon System ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  FCAS Loyal Wingman [UK]

  Programme Background FCAS Loyal Wingman Tim Martin reported for Shephard in December 2021 that the international partners involved in the sixth-generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Tempest programme ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that the Italian, British and Japanese components of GCAP are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2019: In September 2019, the UK and Italian ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Puma IFV (Germany - Second Batch)

  Programme Background The contract award for the second batch of Pumas had been delayed until 2022 at the earliest. However, in April 2021, German media ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Puma IFV [Germany - Option]

  Programme Background The contract award for the second batch of Pumas had been delayed until 2022 at the earliest. However, in April 2021, German media ...

• Tanks

  MGCS [Germany]

  Programme Background The MGCS programme was initiated in June 2018 when France and Germany signed an LoI to develop a common next-generation MBT platform. Although ...

• Tanks

  MGCS [France]

  Programme Background The MGCS programme was initiated in June 2018 when France and Germany signed an LoI to develop a common next-generation MBT platform. Although ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Low-Cost Uncrewed Air Systems (LANCA) Follow-On Project [UK]

  Programme Background Project Mosquito Beginning in 2019, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in collaboration with the Royal Air Force (RAF), began the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  FEANIX

  The Future Effector - Adaptable, Networked, Intelligent, Xpendable (FEANIX) is a long-range Light Remote Carrier (LRC) that can be launched from the air, land, and sea.  Unveiled by ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Wingman

  The Wingman is an Airbus concept drone unveiled at ILA Berlin in June 2024. The loyal wingman-type fixed-wing UAV is designed to accompany crewed fighters, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Expendable Remote Carrier (ERC)

  The Expendable Remote Carrier (ERC) is an experimental autonomous system that MBDA revealed at the Paris Air Show 2023.  A critical part of the FCAS programme, ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  RCM²

  The Remote Carrier Multidomain Multirole Effector (RCM²) is an uncrewed aircraft developed by MBDA Deutschland. The drone is a multi-domain platform that performs kinetic strikes, EW jamming, ...

• Aircraft carriers

  Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation (PA-Ng)

  The Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation—new generation aircraft carrier (PA-Ng) is intended to replace the Charles de Gaulle in the 2030s/2040s. The programme for the new ...

• Trainer

  M-346

  The M-346 is a Lead In Fighter Trainer (LIFT), developed by Alenia in partnership with Yakovlev as the Yak/AEM-130 before the partnership was disbanded. The first ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Puma IFV

  The 30mm-armed Puma tracked IFV was developed by Projekt System & Management (PSM), a JV between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall Landsysteme, to meet the German ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Vector / Scorpion

  Vector is an electric UAS with VTOL capabilities and tiltrotor engines developed by Quantum-Systems. Its 2-in-1 design allows the user to remove the wings and attach ...