The triumvirate of nations leading the Next Generation Warfare System with Future Combat Air System (NGWS/FCAS) – France, Germany and Spain – have announced the agreement on the workshare issues and paved the way for the next step of the development phase to be undertaken.
In a joint release issued on May 17, the defence ministers of France, Germany and Spain stated that discussions to finalise the content for the next phase of the programme had been agreed with the intention at developing a flying demonstrator aircraft by 2027.
The release further stated the NGWS will be comprised of a NGF (New Generation Fighter), RCs (Remote Carriers, unmanned aerial platforms) and a Combat Cloud designed to achieve information dominance.
Florence Parly, French Minister for Armed Forces, took to social media to state the agreement “paved the way” for an operational FCAS aircraft in 2040.
Describing the negotiations as “intensive and tough” the German MoD said on May 17 the agreement would act as a “government-side umbrella” for the next steps of the programme.
The FCAS programme was launched in 2018 by France and Germany, with Spain officially joining in 2020.
