France, Germany and Spain announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement to launch the study contracts for the future air combat system (SCAF), following bitter negotiations and industrial rivalries.
“The discussions (…) over the past few months have resulted in a balanced agreement between the various partners for the next stage of the demonstration phase of the program ”, affirm in a joint declaration the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and her German and Spanish counterparts, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Margarita Robles.
These studies, say of “Phase 1B”, relate to approximately 3.5 billion euros by 2024, and are distributed and financed equally between the three countries, according to the French minister’s office.
A study of “Phase 2” will then plan for 2027 to build a flight demonstrator, a sort of preprototype intended to prove the reliability of the technologies selected. The production of this demonstrator was originally scheduled for 2026.
“Battle cloud”
Launched in 2017 by France and Germany, joined by Spain, the SCAF must replace their Rafale and Eurofighter fighter jets by 2040. More than a new generation fighter aircraft (NGF), the program is a “System of systems” which revolves around the plane with accompanying drones, all connected, by a “Combat cloud”, with other military assets engaged in an operation.
An agreement between the parties was imperative to secure the future of the program for the next few years and to hope to obtain the approval of the Bundestag. The latter must agree to the financing of the German quota, before ceasing its work at the end of June with the approach of German legislative elections. “The corresponding state arrangements are now ready to follow national administrative processes for formal validation”, specify the three ministers.
Contracts with manufacturers should then be able to be concluded “At the end of summer”, we hope in the cabinet of Mme Parly.