The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) sixth-generation fighter jet program, which is being jointly pursued by the powerful consortium of France, Germany, and Spain, appears to have run into trouble once again.
The FCAS is a ‘system of systems’ program that includes a next-generation fighter (NGF), remote carriers or adjunct aircraft, and a combat cloud—a multi-domain capable, data-rich network enabling cross-platform information sharing. France’s Dassault, Germany’s Airbus, and Spain’s Indra are leading the program.
Unlike other sixth-generation aircraft programs, the FCAS has remained marred in delays due to disagreements between partners. Dassault is the prime contractor for the New Generation Fighter (NGF) which is at the core of the FCAS program, with Airbus as the main partner on behalf of Germany and Spain.
Earlier this week, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier criticized the partnership with Airbus, telling French parliamentarians that it is “very, very difficult” to work together with ongoing arguments over work sharing, according to reports.
“Something is not working,” the CEO told a hearing of the National Assembly defense committee on April 9. “So it needs to be reviewed. It’s not up to me to do that, it’s up to the states to get together to figure out how to better manage this ambitious program.”
Currently, the program is in Phase 1B, under which the industry partners are working on the research, design, and development of the NGF, which includes extensive work on propulsion, sensors, and communication systems.
Once the development phase is over, the program will enter phase 2, which will include creating a demonstrator. As per previous reports, Phase 2 will be announced in 2026, and the first flight of the demonstrator has been planned for 2029.
However, internal wrangling appears to have broken out again after almost a year of lull, once again throwing the future of the FCAS in uncertainty.
Cracks In The FCAS Program
Since its inception, the FCAS program has faced many difficulties, including disagreements over its design, budgeting, intellectual property rights, industrial work share, and operational priorities.
At one point in 2022, a major deadlock occurred when the development was halted due to a dispute between Airbus and Dassault regarding leadership roles and technology sharing ahead of the beginning of the R&D Phase 1B.
The program is divided into seven technical “pillars,” each headed by a different business and including contributions from subcontractors.
As previously reported, Airbus is in charge of the “loyal wingman” remote-carrier drone design, new cloud capabilities, and stealth technology, while Dassault is in charge of the new fighter plane. Safran is developing a new jet engine for the fighter, while Indra is in charge of the sensor systems.
When the project hit a deadlock in 2022, Trappier said that the issues were due to Dassault being the prime contractor for the NGF. Nevertheless, these issues were eventually resolved, and the program kicked off.
Later, another dispute broke out over the admission of additional members. The vocal French CEO has also been critical of admitting more members to the grouping, fearing that Dassault’s workshare on the development of the NGF could be diluted. For instance, the company strongly resisted Belgium’s entry into the program in 2023. However, Belgium was eventually allowed to join the group as an observer.
For at least a year, all sides affirmed that all was well and the program was proceeding smoothly, although the Dassault chief insinuated that other partners were asking for expanded roles, leading to disputes and delays.
However, Dassault and Airbus are once again engaged in squabbling.
Trappier told French lawmakers this week that reaching a consensus on Phase 2 “is still going to take time, that’s for sure,” adding that the bickering over how to divide the work share is causing delays. Expressing his frustration, he claimed that the disjointed work methodology of FCAS is the reason for delays since “each time we reopen pointless, endless discussions.”
“We have to constantly accommodate, constantly negotiate. It’s what’s called permanent negotiation. I hope we will reach an agreement to move forward,” he said.
Airbus has two-thirds of the vote on behalf of Germany and Spain, whereas Dassault, the prime contractor, only accounts for a third of the decision-making process. This puts Dassault in a tough spot, as the prime contractor on the NGF cannot divide out the work in any way it deems suitable, said the Dassault CEO.
Trappier said that the calculation on the design of the aircraft has been concluded. “We know how to manufacture it, get it flying as quickly as possible,” the CEO said. “I would be very much in favor of speeding things up.” He cited the case of the nEURon combat drone project, which was jointly developed by industry partners from multiple European countries. Trappier said the workload was distributed as per skills of the different actors… and not according to a logic of “geographical return.”
The CEO called for prioritizing the best abilities needed for better cooperation and co-development instead of geo-returns sought by partners. In this context, geo return likely refers to the fair return of investment for participants based on their financial contributions, which has become a bone of contention.
The Dassault chief also revealed that Airbus was reluctant to share certain technology from the Eurofighter program unless France agreed on a high-level barter. “Well, that doesn’t work. So we’re constantly bumping into these difficulties of work share,” he stated.
Airbus, on its part, sounded a more optimistic note. In response to Trappier’s testimony, Airbus told Defense News that the FCAS program has achieved “strong progress,” including the phase 1B contract’s concept selection review accomplishment. “We are now on our way to phase 2 contracts,” Airbus told the publication.
“We are committed to FCAS, which represents the backbone of the European defense industry and strategic autonomy,” Airbus said in the statement. “We do believe in FCAS as a collaborative European industrial program, even more so in the current geopolitical context. That is our commitment from the beginning, to pursue a system of systems that goes beyond a future European fighter.”
The company was likely referring to the cracks in the Transatlantic partnership caused by US President Donald Trump’s engagement with Russia to end the Ukraine war and telling his European allies that the US would not come to Europe’s defense. The US President’s hostility has prompted European allies, particularly Germany and France, to deepen ties and enhance cooperation to achieve European military independence.
However, this does not rule out the fact that the internal discontent between Dassault and Airbus could cause significant delays in the program. Notably, unlike the FCAS, other sixth-generation combat aircraft programs are gathering pace. For instance, China is already flying two different prototypes (J-36 and J-50) of sixth-generation fighters, whereas the US recently awarded Boeing a contract for its F-47 aircraft, expediting its development.
Closer home, the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), which is being pursued by the UK in partnership with Japan and Italy, is moving quickly and has set a timeline of 2035 for the production of the next-generation aircraft.
The delays in FCAS are expected to hurt France and Spain more than Germany, for the latter has purchased the fifth-generation F-35 stealth aircraft, unlike France, which operates the Rafale, and Spain, which flies the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The initial plan for the FCAS grouping was to replace the French Rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighters with next-generation fighter jets by 2040. However, Trappier has repeatedly cautioned that due to the delays, the target of 2040 is already unattainable. It appears more likely that the timeline will extend into the 2050s.
In fact, there is indication that France could also consider abandoning the program. When asked where Dassault could go solo and develop NGF in a reasonable timeframe, Trappier said, “I don’t want to sound arrogant at all, but whose capabilities do I need other than my own to make a combat aircraft?”So I’m willing to cooperate and share. I’m not against it, but I’m the one with the skills.”
“We will do the NGF, as for with who, that’s not for me to answer,” Trappier said. “That’s up to the state, up to the politicians to say whether we should work with our traditional allies or not.”
With Trappier dropping the gauntlet, it remains to be seen whether the partnership weathers the storm and sustains or France goes the Rafale way and develops its sixth-generation fighter alone.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari9555 (at) gmail.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
