Miscellaneous News
FCAS: Will France receive 80 percent of the new New Generation Fighter?
Eric Trappier, CEO of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault, has pointed out on several occasions in the past that, in his view, his company can build a new fighter jet without the support of third parties. Furthermore, he is dissatisfied with the distribution of tasks in the French-German-Spanish armaments project Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and, in an interview during the Paris Air Show a few weeks ago, called for clear leadership in the FCAS sub-project to develop a new fighter jet – the New Generation Fighter. As an alternative, he raised the prospect of Dassault withdrawing from the programme.
According to reports, the disputes within the FCAS consortium have already led to the fact that the bids for the upcoming phase 2 of the project have still not been finalised. In this phase, airworthy demonstrators are to be built.
As hartpunkt has now learned from well-informed sources, the French government is said to have thrown its weight behind Dassault's demands. According to reports, the Ministry of Defence in Berlin has been informed that France is seeking an 80 per cent share of the work share for the New Generation Fighter.
If this is true, it would completely overturn the division of tasks between the nations and industrial partners that was agreed upon in lengthy negotiations. There would then no longer be any question of equality between the partners. Observers assume that, with its demand for more than three-quarters of the work share, France is seeking design sovereignty for both the aircraft and the system of systems, in which the fighter is the central element.
For German fighter aircraft construction, this would probably mean the end in the long term, as all essential components would be in French hands. The development and construction of so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft, unmanned combat aircraft accompanying the fighter, is unlikely to compensate for this loss in terms of mass and expertise. According to a study by the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI), the 38 Eurofighters in Tranche 4 alone secure around 7,800 high-tech jobs at more than 100 companies in Germany for the German Armed Forces.
Christoph Schmid, SPD spokesman for the Air Force and FCAS in the Bundestag's Defence Committee, has long heard rumours from industry circles about possible efforts by Dassault to rebalance the fighter's work share, but has not yet received official confirmation.
If the French government does indeed demand an 80 per cent share and does not withdraw this demand, Schmid believes that this could spell the end for the joint project. ‘We cannot agree to that,’ Schmid said in an interview with hartpunkt. This is because accepting the demand would mean giving up too much independence and sovereignty and ultimately financing a French project with German money.
The BDLI was not available for comment. An Airbus spokesperson said in response to an enquiry: "We do not comment on discussions that governments may or may not be having. As we have emphasised on several occasions, we remain committed to FCAS, all previous agreements and everything that this entails for Europe. The coming months until the end of the year will be decisive in enabling us to move quickly into the actual development phase of the programme. This is essential in view of the increasing global security challenges facing Europe and the need for sovereign high-tech weapon systems."
A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Defence was not available for comment at short notice. However, according to sources within the Ministry of Defence, the existing agreements within the FCAS consortium continue to apply to the German side. Since the new demands are being made by France, the solution must also be sought there, they say. It now remains to be seen how the players involved, including employees and suppliers, will react to the French initiative. The works council of Airbus Defence and Space has announced a staff meeting at short notice for today, Monday, which will also address FCAS and Dassault.
Lars Hoffmann
Translated with (free version)
