German, Spanish FCAS companies rally to preserve breakthrough fighter tech

COLOGNE, Germany — German and Spanish companies involved the now-defunct Future Combat Air System program are appealing to their respective governments to keep funding sixth-generation fighter jet expertise gained under the developmental effort.

Separate statements to that effect published Thursday by the lead companies of both nations, Airbus and Indra, come as news broke this week that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron had decided to drop the sixth-generation fighter jet segment of FCAS.

That warplane was meant to be a centerpiece of the effort, with accompanying drones, sensors and communications equipment envisioned to act in concert as a first-of-its-kind uber-weapon in the skies.

Years of squabbling between German industry lead Airbus and French lead Dassault Aviation over leadership and intellectual property ultimately led to the program’s demise, essentially overruling political goodwill among the leadership of both countries.

On the German side, a group dubbed “Team Gen 6” now includes Airbus Defence and Space, Autoflug, Diehl Defence, Hensoldt, Liebherr, MBDA Deutschland, MTU Aero Engines and Rohde & Schwarz.

In a joint statement circulated at the ILA Berlin Airshow on Thursday, the companies argue the fielding of a sixth-generation fighter plane should remain Berlin’s goal.

“An effective new setup is now indispensable for achieving our common objective: a superior European air combat system for our collective security,” the firms wrote in the statement.

With existing FCAS contracts ending this year, the companies want the government to keep spending money on such a warplane, warning that a lapse in funding would lead to an “irreversible” loss in expertise.

In Spain, the corresponding industry grouping encompasses Indra, the Spanish arm of Airbus Defence and Space, Grupo Oesia, GMV, ITP and Sener.

Notably, the companies emphasize a desire to work as part of a multinational team, leaving the door open to piggybacking on an existing sixth-generation fighter push like the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme , or inviting aerospace companies like Sweden’s Saab into the mix.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius this week outlined several options for Germany to acquire next-gen fighters after the end of the FCAS fighter jet development.

The first path involves buying a batch of F-35 jets from the United States. Another option would have Germany join GCAP. A third scenario envisions an Airbus-led project in conjunction with other companies, a scenario closest to what German companies were lobbying for in the joint proclamation on Thursday.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——参与现已终止的未来作战空中系统计划的德国和西班牙公司正在呼吁各自的政府继续资助在研发过程中获得的第六代战斗机技术。

就在本周早些时候有消息称，德国总理弗里德里希·默茨和法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙决定放弃未来空中作战系统（FCAS）的第六代战斗机部分。周四，两国的主要公司空中客车和英德拉分别发表了相关声明。

那架战机原本是这项计划的核心，配套的无人机、传感器和通信设备计划协同作战，成为空中前所未有的超级武器。

德国工业巨头空客和法国工业巨头达索航空之间多年来围绕领导权和知识产权的争吵最终导致该项目夭折，这实际上违背了两国领导人之间的政治善意。

德国方面，一个名为“第六代团队”的组织现在包括空中客车防务与航天公司、Autoflug公司、Diehl防务公司、Hensoldt公司、利勃海尔公司、MBDA德国公司、MTU航空发动机公司和罗德与施瓦茨公司。

在周四于柏林国际航空航天展览会（ILA Berlin Airshow）上发布的一份联合声明中，这些公司认为，部署第六代战斗机应该是柏林的目标。

“为了实现我们的共同目标——建立一个卓越的欧洲空中作战系统以保障我们的集体安全——现在，一个有效的新体系是必不可少的。”这些公司在声明中写道。

由于现有的FCAS合同将于今年到期，这些公司希望政府继续为这种战机投入资金，并警告说，资金中断将导致专业知识的“不可逆转”的损失。

在西班牙，相应的行业集团包括 Indra、空中客车防务与航天公司的西班牙分公司、Grupo Oesia、GMV、ITP 和 Sener。

值得注意的是，这些公司强调希望作为跨国团队的一部分开展工作，这为搭上现有第六代战斗机计划（如英国-意大利-日本的全球作战空中计划）的顺风车，或者邀请瑞典萨博等航空航天公司加入其中敞开了大门。

德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托瑞斯本周概述了德国在FCAS战斗机研发结束后获取下一代战斗机的几种方案。

第一条方案是从美国购买一批F-35战机。另一种方案是德国加入全球防务合作计划（GCAP）。第三种方案设想由空客牵头，联合其他公司开展一个项目，这一方案最接近德国企业在周四联合声明中游说的诉求。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。