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burritocannon

burritocannon

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they're essentially making the defense of these baltic states a western imperative.
i suspect the next move is to threaten kaliningrad for leverage.
 
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Aegrotare

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What Remains of FCAS​


Beyond rhetoric, the shared program has narrowed to its technical backbone, the Combat Cloud and its underlying data architecture.
BAAINBw officials now define the potential FCAS primarily as “a coordination framework for interoperability between national systems.” Demonstrators for sensors and data links remain active, but the concept of a single, jointly built NGF has largely disappeared.


The German Air Force’s roadmap, as discussed in Berlin, outlines four primary objectives for a post-full-scale FCAS era:


  • CFSN Combat Cloud: the national command and data layer, forming the German backbone of the wider FCAS Combat Cloud to ensure interoperability across allied networks.
  • CCA Development: two classes of unmanned systems (4–5t and 10t) for escort, strike, and jamming roles.
  • Integration of existing platforms: Eurofighter EK, F-35A, and future drones linked via data fusion.
  • Next Generation Fighter: development of a Eurofighter successor, ideally in cooperation with Spain and/or Sweden.

In parallel, Berlin has initiated technical talks with GCAP members in the United Kingdom and Italy to explore data-link and interoperability alignment between the CFSN and the Anglo-Italian-Japanese system architecture, expanding Combat Cloud compatibility across European projects.
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Potential Partnership Options​


If the trilateral FCAS arrangement with France and Spain fails, Germany is keeping alternative avenues open. Sweden has emerged as the preferred fallback partner. Saab CEO Micael Johansson said in a recent interview with
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that his company is “ready to explore a joint future air combat architecture with Germany, including unmanned systems and next-generation fighter technologies.”


While no formal agreement has been announced, working-level contacts between German and Swedish industry have intensified. Saab’s experience in systems integration and electronic warfare aligns closely with Germany’s CFSN approach. Existing collaborations, such as on the Eurofighter EK electronic-combat variant, could serve as a technological bridge for future joint efforts.
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France’s National Route​


Paris, by contrast, is consolidating its national NGF concept based on the Rafale F5 standard. Dassault Aviation is evolving the F5 into a new platform with systems based on an upgraded RBE2-XG radar, a new engine design under the T-REX program, and an unmanned-teaming interface. French officials describe this as a cost-efficient evolution that maintains industrial sovereignty.


The move effectively excludes foreign partners from future French combat-air development and reinforces France’s reliance on its export-proven industrial base. While it supports Dassault’s market position and national control, it also limits the program’s technological input and scope due to reduced external cooperation and budgetary constraints.
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Conclusion​


The Future Combat Air System now seems to function more as a political umbrella than a unified program. Its practical legacy might be divided: France advancing a sovereign smaller scale Rafale successor and a potential successor to the nEUROn UCAV, while Germany will build the CFSN with its own Collaborative Combat Aircraft and explores a German-Spanish-Swedish fighter concept.


Within that scope, CFSN aims to ensure that Europe’s next generation of airpower will not be built in one factory or under one flag, but across connected, interoperable networks.
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It seems that FCAS is finally dead.
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Colonel Rauber began his presentation with organizational changes. He no longer has a general; FCAS is now treated by the ministry as just a department with half the number of staff.
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Atomicfrog

Major
Registered Member
Maikeru said:
Be France.
  • Co-develop Jaguar with UK.
  • Develop Mirage F1 on your own.
  • Pitch F1 against Jaguar in every export competition.
  • If F1 wins, France gets 100%.
  • If Jaguar wins, France still gets 50%.
See also Lynx vs Dauphin.

France REALLY knows win-win.
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Would be interesting to see with what money all these projects will be done. Germany, Britain and France doing their own fighter projects will cull decisions making difficulties. Still, less money means it will take a lot of time vs more money with combined projects would give shorter developments.

With France politicians vanishing faster than the last one and France at the brisk of being unsolvable, I clearly dont know how they will be able to keep a project alive long enough to bear fruits.

Britain is clearly not in a good shape either and German are opening their owns veins with energy ballet moves.

Would it be better to jump build stealthy UCAV/CCA and upgrades twin seats Eurofighter and Rafale to control them at this rate. Range is way less an issue in Europe than for a US vs China scenario. Most of their enemies are their direct neighbors...
 
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