Accordo franco-tedesco per un caccia di nuova generazione ..

[richelieu]

FCAS/SCAF ... accordo trilaterale ... si va avanti ...

Top defense leaders from France, Germany and Spain have formalized plans to begin the preliminary development phase for a lead plane under the Future Combat Air System program, committing their governments to spending billions of euros in the coming years.
The trilateral agreement, signed in Paris on Aug. 30, follows Germany’s parliamentary approval in June to invest nearly €4.5 billion (U.S. $5.3 billion) in the program through 2027.
The other nations are expected to contribute similar amounts, though it’s unclear if France and Spain will finance separate, national industry programs — as planned by Berlin to the tune of €750 million — on FCAS-related technologies.
The program entails a new fighter aircraft, dubbed the Next-Generation Fighter, to be accompanied by a smattering of drones for reconnaissance and strike missions.
A sophisticated network of data links, collectively known as a “combat cloud,” is meant to provide the glue between the flying program elements during operations, the idea goes.
The new agreement entails phases 1B and 2, covering research and development activities and the construction of an initial, flyable prototype.

… defensenews.com … Top defense leaders kick off new phase for Europe’s next-gen fighter …

Anche qui … psk.blog.24heures.ch … 8,6 milliards pour le SCAF ! …

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[richelieu]

FCAS/SCAF ... accordo trilaterale ...

Ne parla anche RID … Firmato il terzo Implementation Agreement per lo SCAF (e non solo) …

[richelieu]

Un commento di Richard Aboulafia ... (Managing Director at AeroDynamic Advisory) ...

In December, the United Arab Emirates ordered 80 Rafale fighter jets worth $16 billion from the French manufacturer Dassault Aviation - both a record UAE arms purchase and a record French arms sale.
While Abu Dhabi still hopes to purchase 50 somewhat more advanced U.S. F-35s as part of a $23 billion arms deal with the United States, it only makes sense that the UAE would want a second source for combat jets - especially from France.
Nations that import arms in conflict-fraught regions want to keep their militaries operating in the event of potential arms embargoes, and France offers two strong selling points: a valuable strategic relationship and low risk of cutting off weapons support.
But the UAE Rafale buy - and other Rafale sales, including last week’s sale to Indonesia - raises questions about a nascent plan for France’s participation in its first-ever multinational fighter jet program: the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a joint Franco-German plan to create a next-generation advanced combat aircraft that would enter production around 2040, after the Rafale has become outdated.
(The FCAS project now also includes Spain, which will play a relatively small role compared with the two founding partners.)
In the context of the UAE deal and other sales, Franco-German future fighter development looks colossally ill-advised.

… foreignpolicy.com … Why a Franco-German Fighter Jet Is a Bad Idea …

[richelieu]

Volano gli stracci fra Dassault Aviation e Airbus ?

Dassault Aviation voiced frustration over a dispute with partner Airbus about the next phase of work on the European FCAS fighter project and said it was important to establish clear leadership.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which has been dogged by political and corporate differences, has been designed to replace the Eurofighter and Dassault’s Rafale with a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft from 2040. The project’s main government backers are France, Germany and Spain.
“I accept to be leader if I have the leverage to be leader,” Chief Executive Eric Trappier said, referring to Dassault’s responsibility for the core fighter element of the design.
Dassault and Airbus have been at odds over responsibility for flight controls, but Trappier said Dassault was prepared to share some of the work as long as it was free to run the first of seven project ‘pillars’ - involving the aircraft - as agreed.
“We have made enough efforts,” Trappier said, adding talks had been ‘difficult’ in the face of new demands since September.
Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some defence analysts have speculated that differences over FCAS could sink the project and reshuffle industry alliances.

… reuters.com … Dassault CEO frustrated over fighter talks with Airbus …

[richelieu]

A quanto pare i membri del consorzio franco-ispano-tedesco stentano a trovare una base comune onde portare avanti l'ampio programma FCAS ...

Secondo un noto ex-settimanale britannico ...

European sixth-generation fighter stays stalled amid industrial rancour ...
By Dominic Perry - 1 June 2022

Ongoing tensions between the industrial partners involved in a tri-national effort to develop a sixth-generation fighter appear no closer to resolution, with efforts to progress the project still stalled.
Airbus Defence & Space and Dassault Aviation were due to sign a contract in 2021 covering the creation of a demonstrator aircraft for the New Generation Fighter (NGF) being developed for France, Germany and Spain as part of the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme.
However, that contract – known as Phase 1B – is no closer to being agreed, according Eric Trappier, chief executive of Dassault, the prime contractor for the NGF work.
“We were ready to go ahead but sometime between September and December it stopped. I don’t know how it will start back,” he told FlightGlobal at last week’s EBACE business aviation show.
While FCAS was originally a Franco-German project, the admission of Spain in 2019 has ratcheted up the tension, particularly on the NGF, where Airbus represents now both Berlin and Madrid.
“It is not only a political issue it is also a matter of sharing the work between Airbus and Dassault,” says Trappier.
“We have made big efforts, [but] as far as Dassault is concerned we have only one-third of the job. We are the prime architect taking overall responsibility in front of the defence ministries and want to be capable to take this responsibility without Airbus always saying they want to do more.”
Dassault’s main objection is the insistence that intellectual property relating to flight-control software be shared among the partners.
But Trappier points out that the system for the NGF demonstrator will be an “off-the-shelf” solution, derived from a Falcon business jet.
“Why should we share our technology on the Falcon with Airbus? Airbus in Toulouse knows perfectly well how to develop flight controls,” he argues.
However, with Germany and Spain likely to insist on full co-operation – or at least access to the technology – on the flight-control system for any future production aircraft, this appears likely to remain a thorny issue.
Tension is also likely to be stoked by the fact that Dassault’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon – for which Airbus is the flight-control provider – remain rivals for fifth-generation fighter sales, with neither side willing to cede any perceived advantage.
But Trappier contrasts the impasse on the NGF with the four-nation EuroDrone project, which is led by Airbus and “we follow them”, he says, adding: “We are not trying to say we need to know everything and they should do the same [on NGF].”
Dassault is developing the flight controls for the unmanned aircraft.
He says Dassault is still prepared to sign the Phase 1B contract, but only within the previously agreed framework, not to rules “that are changed every three months” to accommodate the demands of other parties.
And while the delay to Phase 1B activities continues, Dassault has had to redeploy its project team elsewhere in the business.
While a contract signature is still possible this year “I will need time to gather the team again,” he notes.
Airbus, however, defends its position, noting that agreement has been reached on “all six other pillars” of the FCAS development, “where even under a defined leadership the competence and capacities of each partner are respected and can participate in an equitable manner”, it says.
“Airbus has made several proposals to converge also on the NGF and we are supporting any solution which will respect both the skills of each partner and the lead role of Dassault, leading to a fair agreement.”
“We are confident that a resolution can be achieved if the rules of the cooperation agreed by the nations are respected in the NGF, as it is the case on other pillars.”

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[richelieu]

Programma "FCAS/SCAF" ... in Francia si comincia a parlare di un ritardo di almeno dieci anni ...

Dassault, one of the three primary industrial partners on the trinational Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF), has said that continuing delays to agreeing terms will delay the entry into service of the New Generation Fighter (NGF) element of the programme by at least a decade.
Under the current published timeline, the first flight of the NGF demonstrator was scheduled for 2027, with the final proposed design frozen in 2030 ahead of a proposed in-service date of 2040.
Speaking to French media, however, Dassault CEO Éric Trappier said that the current planned in-service date is no longer tenable, with 2050 being a more realistic timeline.

… janes.com … Dassault predicts decade of delay for FCAS fighter …

Anche qui … psk.blog.24heures.ch … 10 ans de retard pour le SCAF? …

[richelieu]

SCAF o FCAS ... la Germania intende andare avanti ...

La Germania intende sviluppare la prossima generazione di caccia “con partner come la Francia”, ha dichiarato il cancelliere tedesco, Olaf Scholz, a margine della visita che ha effettuato alla Mostra internazionale dell’aeronautica e dello spazio di Berlino (ILA) aperta dal 22 al 26 giugno al polo fieristico di Selchow nei dintorni della capitale della Germania.
Scholz rilancia quindi il Sistema di Combattimento Aereo del Futuro (SCAF o FCAS ...), sviluppato da Airbus Defence and Space con la francese Dassault Aviation, progetto franco-tedesco-spagnolo al centro negli ultimi mesi di polemiche tra Parigi e Berlino, dopo la decisione del governo federale di acquisire 35 F-35A da Lockheed Martin per la Luftwaffe.

… analisidifesa.it … Scholz all’ILA rilancia il caccia franco-tedesco dopo le polemiche sugli F-35 …

[richelieu]

Ci risiamo ...
Dassault in lite con Airbus sulla divisione del lavoro e scatta una sorta di ultimatum ... chiusura delle trattative entro la fine dell'anno o il programma salta ...

Negotiations on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a project designed to unify fighter jets, drone swarms and Combat Cloud, are stalling.
While the political agreement between Germany, France and Spain has now been in place for more than a year, the industrial companies involved, Airbus (whose armaments division is based in Germany) and Dassault Aviation (which is based in Saint-Cloud near Paris), remain at odds.
They still cannot agree on a division of labor in the development of the heart of the project, a so-called sixth-generation fighter jet.
With total costs estimated at 100 billion euros, FCAS is the most expensive European armaments project of all time.
Éric Trappier, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dassault, which is currently building the Rafale fighter jet, made it clear at his company’s semi-annual conference on Wednesday evening that the knot would have to be cut in the coming months – or FCAS would have failed.
“Until the end of the year” he still gives the negotiations time, said Trappier.
This should not be taken as an ultimatum.
But you have already lost three years compared to the original schedule and cannot go on like this forever.
“Our Plan A is FCAS,” said the Dassault boss. As with all industrial projects, however, we are of course working on a “Plan B”.
Trappier didn’t want to go into detail about this.

… exorbit.net/news … How Europe’s largest armaments project could fail …

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Secondo un noto ex-settimanale britannico ...
I partner sono vicini all'accordo sulla prossima fase del programma FCAS ...

Partners close to agreement on next FCAS phase: Dassault chief ...

By Dominic Perry - 24 October 2022

Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence & Space appear to be inching closer to an agreement on the crucial Phase 1B contract for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) being developed by France, Germany and Spain.
Phase 1B covers the development of a demonstrator aircraft for the New Generation Fighter (NGF) element of FCAS, a contract for which was supposed to have been signed off no later than December 2021.
Although there appeared to be consensus among the nations, tension between their industrial champions Dassault and Airbus – representing France and Germany/Spain, respectively – regarding the role of each company on the NGF, has prevented the project from moving forward.
However, Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier, speaking to FlightGlobal at the recent NBAA business aviation show in Orlando, said negotiations with Airbus were now at “final stage” and should be completed “in the coming days or weeks”.
Trappier appears confident that an agreement can be found that recognises Dassault’s leadership role on the NGF, based on its long history of fighter development.
“If the rules are in line with what I have just said we are willing to co-operate,” he says.
“We will share the work but we need to have a leader.”
Dassault is not seeking that role simply for the sake of being in charge, Trappier argues, but because it is best placed to do so in order to deliver the highest performing aircraft for its customers.
He also cautions that progress on the Phase 1B contract does not mean the NGF “will be a success”, with the outcome only becoming apparent “in the coming years”.
Trappier’s latest comments are in contrast to his previous public pronouncements, where he appeared less certain of progress: speaking in July, he repeated calls for Airbus to “trust” Dassault with leadership of the NGF.
But at national level there is still broad alignment, with the French and German defence ministers in late September reaffirming their commitment to advance a number of joint defence projects, including the FCAS programme.

Dominic Perry is deputy editor of Flight International but also contributes extensively to flightglobal.com.
Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation.
In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives.

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[richelieu]

SCaF ... a quanto pare, dopo anni di litigi e incomprensioni, il programma sembra procedere ...

France’s Dassault Aviation on Thursday said there is a breakthrough industry agreement that would finally allow the trinational Future Combat Air System effort to proceed.
In a Dec. 1 interview with French publication Le Figaro, Dassault CEO and Chairman Eric Trappier revealed that “all road blocks have been lifted” for the partners to move forward on Phase 1B, the pre-demonstrator phase that would work on developing a fighter prototype.
Le Figaro is owned by Dassault Group, the parent company of Dassault Aviation.

… defensenews.com … Aircraft makers lumber toward deal for Europe’s next-gen fighter jet …

Anche qui … avianews.ch … SCaF, Paris & Berlin s'accordent ! …

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[JT8D]

E' stato assegnato a Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Indra, Eumet e ai loro partner industriali il contratto per la Demonstrator Phase 1B del Future Combat Air System (FCAS). Questo contratto del valore di 3,2 miliardi di euro coprirà i lavori sul dimostratore FCAS e sui suoi componenti per circa tre anni e mezzo.

https://www.md80.it/2022/12/16/il-futur ... rimo-volo/

Paolo

[richelieu]

Il "Next-Gen Air Combat System" europeo è ancora ben lungi dall'essere consolidato ...

Il mockup in scala reale del "Next Generation Fighter" (NGF) paneuropeo, all'esterno del padiglione 2A dell'Airshow di Parigi, è lo stesso svelato quattro anni fa.
Questo significa una mancanza di progresso?
Alcuni direbbero di sì, dopo tutte le successive polemiche sulla leadership del design e su chi fa cosa.
Ma la questione è stata risolta alla fine dell'anno scorso, con Dassault confermato come leader del design al posto di Airbus e anche vari altri accordi sui quali Indra, MTU, Safran e Thales hanno convenuto.
L'NGF fa parte del "Système de Combat Aérien du Futur" (SCAF) - o "Future Combat Air System" (FCAS) in inglese.
Francia, Germania e Spagna fungono da paesi partner.
Questo FCAS non deve essere confuso con gli altri FCAS guidati dal Regno Unito e supportati da Italia e Giappone, di cui "Tempest" è l'elemento aereo da combattimento.
Nel frattempo, dall'altra parte dell'Atlantico, gli Stati Uniti lavorano al proprio FCAS, il progetto "Next-Generation Air Dominance" (NGAD).

… ainonline.com … Europe Next-Gen Air Combat System Far from Settled …

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[richelieu]

La Germania potrebbe abbandonare il progetto di aerei da combattimento da 90 Miliardi di Sterline che ha con la Francia a favore di un accordo con il Regno Unito, e consentire alla Gran Bretagna di vendere i Typhoon all’Arabia Saudita, salvando potenzialmente 6.000 posti di lavoro ...

… dailymail.co.uk … Germany may ditch £90billion fighter jet project with France in favour of UK deal AND allow Britain to sell Typhoons to Saudi Arabia - potentially saving 6,000 jobs …

Anche qui … it.insideover.com … La Germania vuol mollare lo Scaf (e la Francia): l’ultima sfida sui caccia di sesta generazione …