Airbus and Dassault Aviation are joining forces to develop and produce Europe’s next generation of fighter aircraft under the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project.
Up to now, the two parties have been rivals in the Aerospace & Defence sector: the France-German Airbus is behind the Eurofighter consortium, while France’s Dassault makes the Rafale jet. It is planned that this will ‘complement and eventually replace’ the current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale fighter aircraft between 2035 and 2040.
According to both parties, the partnership represents a ‘landmark’ industrial agreement to secure European sovereignty and technological leadership in the military aviation sector for the coming decades.
“Never before has Europe been more determined to safeguard and foster its political and industrial autonomy and sovereignty in the defence sector. Airbus and Dassault Aviation have absolutely the right expertise to lead the FCAS project. Both companies are already cooperating successfully on Europe’s medium altitude long endurance new generation drone programme,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “FCAS takes this successful cooperation to the next level and we are absolutely committed to tackling this challenging mission together with Dassault Aviation.”
Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said: “We are convinced that by deploying our joint expertise, Dassault Aviation and Airbus can best meet the operational requirements of the Forces in the development of this critically important European programme. Our joint roadmap will include proposals to develop demonstrators for the FCAS programme as of 2025. I am convinced that European sovereignty and strategic autonomy can and will only be ensured through independent European solutions.”
Overall, FCAS defines a system of systems combining a wide range of elements connected and operating together, including a next-generation fighter aircraft together with Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the existing fleet of aircraft (which will still operate beyond 2040), future cruise missiles and drones flying in swarms. The overall system will be interoperable and connected in a larger perimeter with mission aircraft, satellites, NATO systems and land and naval combat systems.
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