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

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Satnus Joint Venture Begins FCAS Remote Carrier Technology Testing

https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircra ... gy-testing

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Bei einer Fragestunde in der Assemblée Nationale hat der französische Verteidigungsminister ausgesagt, dass sich der Demonstrator des FCAS (SCAF) in der Konzeptphase befindet und dass "wichtige Entscheidungen" bis Ende dieses Jahres getroffen werden sollen.

[Doppeladler]

Admin: Französische Postings sind nicht gestattet und zu übersetzen! Board-Sprachen sind deutsch und englisch!

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Bundeswehr will unbemannte Kampfflugzeuge vor Einführung von FCAS beschaffen

Allerdings werden FCAS und NGWS frühestens im Jahr 2040 eingeführt, wie es zuletzt hieß. So lange will das BMVg offenbar nicht warten. Mit Bezug auf das NGWS teilte der Sprecher mit: „Bis dieses Waffensystem verfügbar ist, beabsichtigen wir, unbemannte Systeme unter Führung von Bodenstationen und/oder aus anderen Flugzeugen einzuführen.“ Weitere Details und Zeitlinien nannte er jedoch nicht.

Diese unbemannten Luftfahrzeuge sollen den Ausführungen des BMVg zufolge bemannte Kampfflugzeuge ergänzen oder gegebenenfalls sogar ersetzen. „Bei bewaffneten Einsätzen gegen Ziele am Boden ist dabei eine Kernforderung, dass die Freigabe zur Bekämpfung durch einen Menschen erfolgt“, betonte der Sprecher.

„Im Rahmen der wehrtechnischen Forschung und Entwicklung (F&E) werden aktuell wesentliche, für unbemannte Flugzeuge relevante Technologien vorangetrieben. Hierbei stehen Anteile wie Missionsmanagement, Konnektivität, Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstelle, Sensordatenfusion sowie (Teil-)Automatisierung von Funktionsabläufen im Fokus“, so das BMVg. Weiterhin würden Teilbereiche auch in europäischen Kooperationen adressiert, wie relevante Fragen der Standardisierung im Projekt „European Initiative for Collaborative Air Combat Standardisation“ des Europäischen Verteidigungsfonds.

https://www.hartpunkt.de/bundeswehr-wil ... eschaffen/

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Dassault CEO strikes dark tone on Europe’s sixth-gen fighter progress

Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier slammed the cooperation with Airbus on developing a European sixth-generation fighter jet, telling French lawmakers that working together is “very, very difficult” amid continued bickering over work share.

“Something is not working,” Trappier said in a hearing of the National Assembly defense committee here on Wednesday. “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.”

Wrangling between the partners over how to share the workload is causing delays, and reaching agreement on Phase 2 “is still going to take time, that’s for sure,” according to Trappier.

In a response to his new testimony this week, Airbus said the FCAS program has made “strong progress,” including the concept selection review achievement within the phase 1B contract. “We are now on our way to phase 2 contracts,” the company said in an emailed statement to Defense News.

“We are committed to FCAS, which represents the backbone of the European defense industry and strategic autonomy,” Airbus said. “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.”

Trappier said the fragmented work methodology of FCAS is a cause of delays, as “each time we reopen pointless, endless discussions” with a push for more co-development and cooperation. Trappier said he disagrees with that model, and focus should be on prioritizing the best skills.

While Dassault is the prime contractor, the French company weighs for only a third in decision making, with Airbus having two-thirds of the vote on behalf of Germany and Spain, Trappier said. That means the lead company on the NGF can’t divvy up the work as it sees fit, the CEO complained.

“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.

Calculations on the shape of the future aircraft have been completed, “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.”

While cooperation was successful on nEUROn, “we don’t have that today on the NGF and I’m very sorry about that,” the executive said. He said Dassault finds itself alone against two partners, having to “persuade even more in order to reach decisions. It just takes a little more time.”

Trappier said some FCAS partners such as Thales are leaders in the field of defense electronics due to France’s history of seeking strategic autonomy, “so when you implement the geo return at every phase, it’s difficult.”

Meanwhile, when Dassault Aviation wants to work with German partners, certain technology derived from the Eurofighter is off-limits unless something “high-level” is provided in return, according to Trappier.

“Well, that doesn’t work. So we’re constantly bumping into these difficulties of work share,” he told lawmakers.

Trappier said that if France chooses a path of mutual dependency with allies, “there’s no going back,” an argument that may resonate with French lawmakers attached to the country’s policy of strategic autonomy in defense matters.

“We have to weigh what we are giving up to our allies, which may be normal in European cooperation and in a desire for European integration,” Trappier said. “But that also means we will depend on each other.”

Trappier was asked whether Dassault could go it alone should the FCAS program fail, and be able to provide France with a stealth-capable aircraft within a reasonable time frame.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant at all, but whose capabilities do I need other than my own to make a combat aircraft?” Trappier said. “So I’m willing to cooperate and share. I’m not against it, but I’m the one with the skills.”

Trappier said the future fighter doesn’t compete with the Rafale, which will operate alongside the new air combat system at some point. FCAS will be for beyond the 2040s, “more like 2045,” the CEO said.

He told lawmakers that if the future combat aircraft is produced as it is conceived today, with three partners, “Rafale will seem cheap to you.”

https://www.defensenews.com/global/euro ... -progress/