Written by: Tom Mantelet
After a year of negotiation and uncertainties, France and Germany found a new agreement for the development of the future air combat system (FCAS) next 6th generation aircraft (Vincent & Bezat, 2022). On Thursday 1st 2022, Airbus and Dassault, the main constructors for the FCAS, announced the launch of the next phase of development for the fighter jet. This phase is mainly about the design of the demonstrator for 2029.
First displayed by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017, the program was still under negotiation, the main issues being intellectual property rights from Dassault and the workshare division from Airbus (Hummel & Amann, 2022). Joined by Spain in 2019 represented by the industrial partner Indra, the FCAS project is “designed to replace the Eurofighter and Dassault’s Rafale with a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft from 2040” (Hummel & Amann, 2022).
This amounts to a great step forward for strengthening Franco-German relations, paving the way for a stronger European Defence and armament situation in which France is looking to play an important role. In its National Strategic Review for 2030, French President Macron expressed his willingness to bolster the European defence industry and cooperation with European Union member states, especially Germany (Ministère des Armées, 2022). This is also great news for European interoperability where common weapon systems are a key component.
Bibliography
Amann, C., & Hummel, T. (2022, December 1). Airbus, Dassault Reach deal on FCAS JET Programme. Reuters. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/companies-have-reached-deal-fcas-jet-programme-says-dassault-aviation-head-2022-12-01/
Ministère des Armées. (2022). Revue nationale stratégique . Defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/nouvelle-revue-nationale-strategique-ce-quil-faut-retenir-du-discours-demmanuel-macron
Vincent, E., & Bezat, J.-M. (2022, November 20). France and Germany find agreement on FCAS Warplane Development deal. Le Monde.fr. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2022/11/20/france-and-germany-announce-fcas-warplane-development-deal_6004930_19.html
