Airbus pushes for FCAS demonstrators in France, Germany and Spain
Airbus is proposing three Next Generation Fighter (NGF) demonstrators, based partly on legacy Rafale and Eurofighter parts, for the Future Combat Aircraft System (FCAS) programme in France, Germany and Spain.
The move arrives in the wake of criticism from Airbus Defence Works Council and German metalworkers’ union IG Metall that if only one prototype is built by Dassault in France, using a Rafale-based design, then FCAS will become an effort mainly favouring France, but heavily financed by Germany.
‘If Germany does not build its own demonstrator, this [Tornado and Eurofighter technology] know-how will be lost,’ Bernhard Stiedl, Ingolstadt IG Metall
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale
The fast-tracked emergency approvals come as the conflict in the Middle East stretches out into its third month, after Iranian attacks depleted US allies’ missile stockpiles and testing air defence systems.
-
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.