FCAS future fighter jet collapse: where does Europe’s next-generation air power go next?
The combat cloud pillar of FCAS could still remain as a “face-saving” measure. (Photo: Airbus)
While the New Generation Fighter pillar of the Franco-German-Spanish programme is now officially dead in the water, Germany’s ambition to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet remains – with the country serving as a financially attractive potential partner for other programmes.
With Germany and France agreeing to end the joint development of a crewed sixth-generation fighter jet, which was the core of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, discussions around what happens next are set to follow.
The New Generation Fighter (NGF) was a key component of FCAS; a pillar that would sit alongside a jointly developed combat cloud and uncrewed loyal wingmen as part of a system of systems. According to a German government official, the core element of FCAS will be continued as a “European system of systems” – namely the combat cloud system that networks aircraft, drones and other
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