The European fighter jet project FCAS is worth billions and is to include a fighter jet, drones and communications infrastructure. After some spat between Germany and France, the two countries are now more harmonious.
Things are going well for the European combat aircraft project FCAS. Germany, France and Spain released 3.2 billion euros for the next stage of development, according to the companies involved, Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Indra and Eumet.
This sum is used to finance phase 1B work on a demonstrator aircraft and its parts for the next three and a half years, it said. The companies involved had resolved outstanding issues about the project earlier this month. Airbus, Dassault and Indra are working together on the fighter jet, which is set to replace the Eurofighter and the French Rafale from around 2040.
The FCAS air combat system should be operational from 2040 and replace the Eurofighter. It is intended to fly in conjunction with unarmed and armed drones and is therefore more than a combat aircraft. The total costs were estimated at a three-digit billion amount. In phase 1B, aircraft demonstrators are to be built, and the first test machines are to fly by 2027.
The industries of Germany, France and now also Spain are involved in the project. Another point of contention was who holds the rights of use when technological quantum leaps are financed with tax money of this magnitude.
The project was presented in July 2017 by then Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. A lack of progress in the more than 100 billion euro armaments project had meanwhile contributed to tensions in the relationship between Berlin and Paris.
