DE/FR/ESP: Future Combat Air System (FCAS)

[theoderich]

Mal von den wirtschafts- und industriepolitischen Aspekten ganz abgesehen, ist diese Forderung für Deutschland absolut nicht annehmbar. Man kann nicht immer und immer wieder Vereinbarungen aufkündigen, auf dieser Basis kann keine Zusammenarbeit erfolgen. Erst recht eine Zusammenarbeit, bei der Deutschland sich in seine Rolle als Juniorpartner fügen und auf Frankreichs guten Willen vertrauen soll.

Und es gibt auch noch Spanien und Belgien, die mit industriellen Beteiligungen befriedigt werden wollen.

[theoderich]

[theoderich]

FCAS: Erhält Frankreich 80 Prozent am neuen New Generation Fighter?

France proposed to partners Germany and Spain to “rethink” the work share on the Future Combat Air System project in order to stick to a schedule that would see a future fighter enter into service from 2040 onwards, the country’s Directorate General for Armament said.

While the program has made significant progress, including deciding on the shape of the fighter demonstrator, it’s currently encountering difficulties, the DGA told Defense News in an emailed reply to questions. France therefore recently proposed to its partners to redesign their cooperation based on “strengthening industrial leadership,” the armaments agency said.

“France, as the program’s lead nation, is proposing to its government and industrial partners that they draw lessons from the first years of cooperation in order to continue to ensure that the schedule is met and the project is successful,” the DGA said. “The principle and details of this redesigned cooperation are currently being discussed with the partners.”

The program has met four critical milestones, and the current difficulties are “inherent in a program of this scale and ambition,” according to the DGA, which described FCAS as a project of “unprecedented complexity.”

Discussions on revamping the FCAS cooperation don’t call into question the goals and overall balance of the project, which is a “program of equals,” the armaments directorate said.

However, the ongoing talks will “lead to a reworking of the division of labor between each industrial player,” the DGA said. “Each player’s share of the work is not a given but will be the result of discussions between the partners.”

https://www.defensenews.com/global/euro ... r-project/

[theoderich]

[theoderich]

Portugal eyes joining sixth-generation fighter programme

Portugal is to join one of the two competing European ‘sixth-generation' combat aircraft programmes as an observer, the country's Minister of National Defence João Nuno Lacerda Teixeira de Melo recently said.

Melo said in July the country will look to join either the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF) programme with France, Germany, and Spain (and Belgium as an observer) or the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The minister provided no further details, except to say that a decision on which particular programme to join had not yet been taken.

https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/de ... -programme

[theoderich]

Verteidigungsminister Pistorius empfängt spanische Amtskollegin Robles in Berlin

Mit Blick auf die gemeinsam mit Frankreich beabsichtigte Entwicklung eines Kampfflugzeugs der 6. Generation zeigten sich beide zuversichtlich. Pistorius kündigte an, im Herbst ein trilaterales Treffen in Berlin organisieren zu wollen, um im Detail über noch offene Fragen im Projekt FCASFuture Combat Air System zu sprechen. Dabei sei klar, dass die bereits geschlossenen Verträge die Grundlage der Kooperation der beteiligten Industrieunternehmen bildeten.

https://www.bmvg.de/de/aktuelles/pistor ... in-5985966

[theoderich]

Germany explores how to replace France in Europe’s flagship fighter jet project

Berlin's tensions with Paris over Europe’s flagship €100 billion fighter jet program are pushing Germany to explore how to replace France with Sweden or even the U.K. unless a deal is struck by the end of the year.

According to two people familiar with the discussions, the German defense ministry raised FCAS in talks last week with Airbus, which is responsible for Germany's part of the jet's development and construction.

The conversations laid bare Berlin’s discontent with what officials see as a push by French industry for an outsized role in the program. That attitude has pushed the Germans to weigh fallback options, including moving ahead without France.

The company was told that the German government is exploring potential closer cooperation with Sweden or the U.K. — or going it alone with Spain.

German air force officials also briefed Bundestag lawmakers earlier this week, an official in the legislature said.

“At some point [the German] parliament will have to say: 'Either we need this aircraft or we don’t,'” Social Democratic lawmaker Andreas Schwarz told POLITICO, warning that production has not even begun and “many unforeseen problems” are still likely to arise.

Merz was in Madrid on Thursday, where he met with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez and the two discussed FCAS.

“We share the assessment that the current situation is unsatisfactory. We are not advancing with this project," he said. "We are both speaking with the French government, and we want a solution as soon as possible.”

French officials denied that Dassault Aviation wants 80 percent of the work on the NGWS.

However, the French company stresses it is looking for more decision-making power specifically on the NGWS to avoid having to consult Airbus and Indra on every step of the aircraft’s development. It argues that the current workflow is likely to cause delays.

At a news conference on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Berlin and Paris were still aligning their positions, but stressed that Berlin’s demand was clear.

“The distribution of burdens and work in this armaments project must be carried out in accordance with the contract,”he said, adding that “there is no dissent” between Berlin and Madrid.

While no formal decision has been taken in Berlin about pursuing a Plan B, officials stress the need for urgency.

Responding to POLITICO’s request for comment, the German defense ministry declined to share any new developments on the project, referring to the comments made by Kornelius.

https://www.politico.eu/article/germany ... -aviation/

[theoderich]

FCAS – Nächstes Megaprojekt vor dem Aus?

https://defence-network.com/fcas-naechs ... r-dem-aus/


Germany and Sweden not discussing FCAS partnership, say defense ministers

https://breakingdefense.com/2025/09/ger ... ministers/


Als nächstes wird MGCS eingestellt. CIFS hat man schon vor längerer Zeit ganz unauffällig beerdigt.

[theoderich]

Deutschland droht mit Aus für europäischen Kampfjet FCAS

https://orf.at/stories/3407469/

Boris Pistorius
„Wir müssen uns auf den Worst Case vorbereiten“

https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/de ... 59440.html