The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter development project has been canceled by Germany and France after months of deadlock in negotiations. The negotiations failed due to differences in technical specifications and technological control between Airbus (Germany) and Dassault Aviation (France).
The two countries also have different operational needs. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for example, disputed the need for a sixth-generation jet that still uses human pilots for the Luftwaffe. The issue of whether the jet should be nuclear-capable or land on a carrier also failed to be resolved despite months of talks between the two sides.
The project, worth between €100-€108 billion, also involves Spain as a third technology partner country. Although the development of the FCAS fighter has been buried, the development of other components such as a cloud system for the battlefield may continue and still use the FCAS name.
The FCAS project was announced in 2017 by Germany to replace the Panavia Tornado aircraft that has been in operation since the 1970s. The FCAS will have to have a tail and twin engines, a two-person crew, and the ability to be difficult to detect by radar.
What is unique about this project is that it is the first to be designed to operate with a variety of drones. It can not only use drone intelligence but also act as a master aircraft to give instructions to the drones to carry out attacks.
The first prototype of the FCAS is expected to make its first flight in 2028 before it becomes operational by 2040. There are predictions that fighter jets with human pilots will become extinct with the use of drones, and it seems that this prediction has come true.
