French, German, Spanish Air Force Chiefs Review Future Combat Air Systems Project

The Air Chiefs of France, Germany and Spain exchanged their operational perceptions on the progress of the NGWS within a FCAS project (Next Generation Weapon System within a Future Combat Air System).

In terms of complexity, NGWS exceeds everything that has ever been imagined and produced in a European cooperation project so far. The Air Chiefs are already looking forward to see the project entering the next phase and subsequently to receive the results of the first real life demonstrations, a French MoD statement said.

General Philippe Lavigne, Lieutenant-General Ingo Gerhartz and General Javier Salto Martinez-Avial met the three FCAS main contractors: INDRA, AIRBUS and DASSAULT AVIATION on June 17-18.

They received first-hand information about the status of the current conceptual studies, starting in Madrid / Spain (AIRBUS SAU), followed by Manching / Germany (AIRBUS GMBH) and finishing in Saint Cloud / France (DASSAULT AVIATION).

The three Generals were also updated on the FCAS project by the Combined Project Team (CPT) in Arcueil / France.

They specifically exchanged their operational perceptions on the progress of the NGWS within a FCAS project (Next Generation Weapon System within a Future Combat Air System).

 During their visit of the industrial facilities, they received detailed project information from military experts and representatives from industry connected to the project. All Air Chiefs expressed strong appreciation of progress within the project to date.

During the visit to the CPT, the three Air Chiefs had the opportunity to confirm the value and the importance of the trilateral work performed by the national representatives in the operational and technical areas in order to represent the national views and interests in the project.

With regard to future challenges, the development of NGWS capabilities within Europe is of great importance. On the one hand there is a strong need for the new capabilities NGWS will deliver, in the spirit of the March 2019 High Level Common Operational Requirements Document. On the other hand, the preservation and development of European technologies is crucial to achieve independence and resilience to maintain security in Europe.