Experts assessed the prospects for the production of the Franco-German FCAS fighter
France and Germany cannot agree on who will be in charge of the joint development of the new fighter, which is why the project is being delayed. The initiative to create a sixth-generation FCAS combat aircraft, launched in 2018, is now likely to be completed not by 2040, but closer to 2050. The French company Dassault Aviation is unhappy that it is not given enough authority. Experts believe that work on the project will continue, but due to disagreements, the fighter will become much more expensive.
The Future combat air system (FCAS) defense project, which includes Berlin, Paris and Madrid, has stalled. As reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, the reason for the lack of progress is a protracted dispute between the German defense division of Airbus and the French military company Dessault Aviation.
In particular, the CEO of the latter, Eric Trappier, demanded that the industry responsibilities between the parties involved in the project be clearly defined. In his opinion, Paris should play a leading role in the initiative, since the Fifth Republic already has experience in the production of Mirage and Rafale fighters.
Despite the fact that the media is actively discussing France's desire to increase the national share of work on the project to 80%, Trappier does not confirm these rumors. According to him, when working of this kind, it is necessary to be able to choose the right suppliers and replace those who cannot cope with their work. "This is how it works in any industrial project, regardless of the sector," he explained.
Initially, the completion of FCAS development was planned for 2040, but now Trappier is talking about shifting the time frame ten years ahead. At the same time, he called the project "plan A" for Dessault Aviation, hinting that the company has other cooperation options in mind. One of them may be the GSCP project to create the Tempest fighter, which Britain, Italy and Japan are working on.
At the same time, the heads of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, intend to settle the differences over the project by the end of August, Die Zeit writes. So, during the meeting in Berlin, the leaders instructed the national Ministries of defense to assess the "realistic prospects for further joint work."
The FCAS initiative was originally developed as part of the European Technology Acquisition Program (ETAP). However, in 2018, France and Germany decided to independently continue this project. Later, Spain also joined them. The main goal of the program was to create a new generation fighter.
However, the matter is not limited to the development of an aircraft alone. On the official Airbus website, the project is called a "system of systems" because the machine being created must be interconnected with systems "in space, in the air, on earth, at sea and in cyberspace through a data cloud." At the same time, the creation of "remotely controlled unmanned carriers" is underway, which should also be part of a single end product package.
The introduction of innovations, according to the original plan, was to be carried out gradually. In particular, it was expected that in the course of the work, the Eurofighter fighters already in service would be upgraded. By the end of the 2020s, they will have to receive "improved situational awareness systems."
Even at the stage of coordination, responsibility between the participants was divided equally: each country was responsible for a third of the initiative, recalls the Spanish edition of The Diplomat. It was assumed that France would become the main contractor in the production of fighter jets, and Germany – related UAVs. However, in the course of the work, there were repeated disputes between the parties about the final powers.
"Initially, with the help of FCAS, the parties intended to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon and Desssault Rafale fighters at their disposal.
It was assumed that Berlin, Paris and Madrid would develop a sixth–generation aircraft that would work together with "slave" UAVs and a cloud-based digital control architecture," said Ivan Kuzmin, an expert on Germany and author of the industry Telegram channel "Our Friend Willy."
"However, it is important to understand that the main goal of the project is not only to modernize the national air Force, but also to demonstrate European technological sovereignty in the defense sector, reduce dependence on the United States, and strengthen industrial cooperation within the EU. The political project was supposed to be a counterweight to Brexit and serve as an example of the strategic autonomy of the union," he said.
"The main reason for the current controversy is the conflict over leadership within the project. Initially, Dessault insisted on its own leading role, while Airbus sought the equal participation of all parties. Even then, this led to protracted disagreements. Additional stress was caused by other circumstances of the external vector," says the source.
"In particular, Berlin's purchase of the F-35 from the United States was regarded by Paris as a demonstration of distrust of FCAS.
The situation was also aggravated by the lack of a clear mechanism for the parties to coordinate their interests. Accordingly, disputes have repeatedly spilled over into the public space. Therefore, France, like Germany, understands that at this stage their project does not look the best," the expert continues.
"Moreover, there is another project in Europe, GCAP, which looks more competitive. At the same time, the claims of the Fifth Republic cannot be called groundless. After all, Paris has a wealth of experience in producing fighter jets, but it will still have to compromise, since the participants have only one alternative - joining the British initiative," he added.
"Both programs pursue similar goals: to create an advanced "system of systems", a competitive product, as well as to preserve and develop their own defense industry competencies. However, approaches to the implementation of these tasks differ significantly. GCAP demonstrates great flexibility and willingness to seek a compromise," the source believes.
"Accordingly, the project has a more positive dynamic in the public space.
In addition, this program has a wider geographical coverage, while FCAS is a European–only initiative. However, there are no significant technological differences," explains Kuzmin.
Conflicts within the FCAS project have existed throughout the entire path of the initiative's implementation, recalls Maria Khorolskaya, a researcher at IMEMO RAS. "All disputes can be divided into two main motives. The first is to find out how much the parties are interested in the program at all. First of all, it concerns the Germans," she adds.
"The French have long been concerned that Germany is stepping up arms purchases from the Americans. Berlin explains such steps by the fact that in such unstable times it is much more efficient to purchase finished products rather than invest in promising but expensive projects," the source explained.
"And in general, the German military-industrial complex is more closely linked to the United States. Accordingly, in this regard, Paris is wondering how important the development of European military potential is for Germany in general. But conflicts have a second motive – disputes over leadership. Initially, they took the form of a discussion between Airbus and Dessault," says the expert.
"However, later contradictions began to arise at the level of other firms.,
involved in the development of fuselages and engines for future fighters. But the project will not go into oblivion. Sooner or later, the parties will be able to come to a compromise, since the governments of both countries relied heavily on FCAS," she emphasizes.
"It is important for both Berlin and Paris to show that European military technologies are developing directly. In addition, the German government has already agreed on the allocation of money for the initiative within the framework of the national budget. Most likely, the conflict will only lead to a delay in the implementation of FCAS," the interlocutor believes.
"Initially, it was stated that by 2026 the parties would provide a "demonstrator" of the future aircraft. I don't think they will succeed. Accordingly, it will not be possible to put the fighters into operation by 2040," Khorolskaya concluded.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
