Spain joins France and Germany on new combat fighter
Spain will join a Franco-German project to build a new fighter plane to replace the Eurofighter and Rafale, the defence ministry said on 11 February 2019.
Defence Minister Margarita Robles will sign a letter of intent with her French and German counterparts on Thursday on the margins of a NATO meeting in Brussels, a spokesperson said.
The project launched in July 2017 is known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which in addition to a new combat aircraft also plans to include drones and cruise missiles.
The new fighter jet will replace the Eurofighter which is assembled in Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, and the French Rafale around 2040.
It will compete with the US F-35 or its successor.
A first contract worth €65 million was awarded to Airbus and Dassault Aviation in February to develop the design of the combat system.
Spain, where Airbus's military transport planes are assembled, had sent a letter in December to Paris and Berlin asking to be associated with the project.
The FCAS has a rival - Britain's Tempest project which has been awarded to BAE Systems, and which Italy and the Netherlands have also joined.
In a December statement, Spain's defence ministry said it was ‘convinced that the two programmes would end up merging, given the huge investment needed in their development.’
More from Defence Notes
-
![Russia poised to increase defence spending]()
Russia poised to increase defence spending
Russia is set to significantly increase its expenditure on defence and national security according to a draft 2023 to 2025 budget.
-
![Acquisition brings ECA Group and iXblue under one roof]()
Acquisition brings ECA Group and iXblue under one roof
Groupe Gorgé says the combination of ECA Group and iXblue will create a ‘high-tech industrial champion’ for naval robotics and navigation systems.
-
![Honeywell gains contract to sustain radiation-hardened military microelectronics]()
Honeywell gains contract to sustain radiation-hardened military microelectronics
Honeywell receives radiation-hardening support contract for microelectronics.
-
![Silent Sentinel to supply long-range thermal cameras for Swedish live fire test sites]()
Silent Sentinel to supply long-range thermal cameras for Swedish live fire test sites
Silent Sentinel will provide its Jaegar platforms with an advanced cold-starter kit for Sweden.
-
![USAF braces for new KC-46 delay as RVS 2.0 troubles persist]()
USAF braces for new KC-46 delay as RVS 2.0 troubles persist
The US Air Force is facing up to more KC-46 tanker woes.
-
![UK economic emergency sets stage for strong words and hollow actions on defence]()
UK economic emergency sets stage for strong words and hollow actions on defence
Much as UK Prime Minister Liz Truss wants to project strong British power on the global stage, investment in much-needed capabilities is jeopardised by the fragile economic situation.
