Belgium joins European FCAS warplane program as observer

PARIS — The trinational program meant to build a new fighter jet for Europe, along with an array of next-generation systems and weapons, has gained a new partner – to a degree.

Belgium has officially joined the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program as an observer, the French Ministry of Defense announced June 20. Bringing Brussels onto the team in this capacity will not change the current contracts signed between France, Germany, and Spain, officials said, but rather will allow stakeholders to “imagine” how Belgian industry might eventually contribute to the FCAS program sometime in the future.

It will also accelerate the operational partnership between the four nations’ air forces, the French Armed Forces said in a Tuesday release.

“We are convinced that this collaboration will be fruitful, and will serve the interests of European defense in the context of profound shifts in technology and international security,” the ministry said.

Defense News reported June 16 that Brussels was mulling joining the trinational program , which would result in a slew of next-generation aerospace technologies delivered to the participating nations around 2040, centered around a sixth-generation fighter jet that would eventually replace the participants fleets of Eurofighter Typhoons and Dassault Rafales.

Another benefit of bringing Brussels into the fold would be to develop closer cooperation between the Belgian defense industrial base and the current FCAS suppliers, per the French ministry. Dassault Aviation, Airbus Defense and Space, and Indra Sistemas are the three prime contractors on the program, representing France, Germany, and Spain, respectively.

The role of observer status is one that’s common during the research-and-development phases of programs, Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus’ executive vice president for military air systems, told reporters on Tuesday.

The distinction of observer means the nation and its industry are not part of the decision-making team for the program, but that “you can know enough of [the program] to prepare a further collaboration” with the current partners, he said at a briefing during the biennial Paris Air Show, held outside of the city.

What does Belgium’s entry mean for the stakeholders at this point in time? “I would say, a bit early to say,” Dumont noted. “I think we’re going to write the history as we move.”

He emphasized that the contracts for the recently launched Phase 1B of the FCAS program, as well as the future Phase 2, have already been signed with the three current partner nations. “So, we are going to execute this contract with three nations.”

Any potential increased role for Belgium in the FCAS program will first need to be defined politically between Paris, Madrid, and Berlin, before an industry contract could be signed, he added.

First established in 2017 between France and Germany, the FCAS program seeks to develop a suite of leading-edge air capabilities by 2040. Spain joined the program in 2020.

It includes seven technology pillars, to include the next-generation fighter – which will replace the participants’ fleets of Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft – a new engine for the fighter jet, a next-generation weapon system, new drones, advanced sensors and stealth technology, and an air combat cloud network.

After nearly two years of delays due to industry workshare disputes, the FCAS prime contractors signed an agreement in December 2022 to move ahead with Phase 1B, during which industry partners will spend the next two years finalizing the program’s architecture.

Phase 1B formally launched this past April, and is scheduled to run until 2025, French Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Stéphane Mille said in a June 8 interview with Defense News. Then, Phase 2 will focus on developing the fighter jet prototype, he said, with a demonstrator flight expected in 2029 – two years later than originally planned.

Vivienne Machi is a reporter based in Stuttgart, Germany, contributing to Defense News' European coverage. She previously reported for National Defense Magazine, Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy and the Dayton Daily News. She was named the Defence Media Awards' best young defense journalist in 2020.

巴黎——旨在为欧洲建造新型战斗机以及一系列下一代系统和武器的三国合作项目，在某种程度上获得了一个新的合作伙伴。

法国国防部6月20日宣布，比利时已正式以观察员身份加入未来作战空中系统（FCAS）项目。官员们表示，布鲁塞尔以这种身份加入该项目不会改变法国、德国和西班牙之间目前签署的合同，而是让利益相关者“设想”比利时工业未来可能如何为FCAS项目做出贡献。

法国武装部队周二发布声明称，此举还将加速这四个国家空军之间的作战合作。

“我们相信，此次合作将富有成效，并将在技术和国际安全发生深刻变革的背景下，服务于欧洲防务利益，”该部表示。

《防务新闻》6月16日报道，布鲁塞尔正在考虑加入三国联合项目，该项目将在2040年左右向参与国交付一系列下一代航空航天技术，其核心是第六代战斗机，最终将取代参与国现有的欧洲台风战斗机和达索阵风战斗机。

法国国防部表示，将布鲁塞尔纳入其中的另一个好处是，能够加强比利时国防工业基地与现有未来空中作战系统（FCAS）供应商之间的合作。达索航空、空客防务与航天公司以及英德拉系统公司是该项目的三大主要承包商，分别代表法国、德国和西班牙。

空中客车公司负责军用航空系统的执行副总裁让-布里斯·杜蒙周二告诉记者，在项目的研发阶段，观察员的角色很常见。

他在两年一度的巴黎航展期间（在巴黎市外举行）的一次简报会上表示，观察员的身份意味着该国及其产业不属于该计划的决策团队，但“你可以充分了解该计划，以便与现有合作伙伴进行进一步的合作”。

比利时的加入对各方利益相关者而言，目前意味着什么？杜蒙指出：“我觉得现在下结论还为时过早。我认为我们将在前进的过程中书写历史。”

他强调，近期启动的FCAS项目第一阶段B部分以及未来的第二阶段的合同已经与三个现有伙伴国签署。“因此，我们将与这三个国家执行这份合同。”

他补充说，比利时在未来航空安全局（FCAS）计划中可能扮演的角色增加，首先需要在巴黎、马德里和柏林之间进行政治界定，然后才能签署行业合同。

FCAS计划于2017年由法国和德国首次启动，旨在到2040年开发一系列领先的空中能力。西班牙于2020年加入该计划。

它包括七大技术支柱，其中包括下一代战斗机（将取代参与国的达索阵风和欧洲台风战斗机机队）、战斗机的新发动机、下一代武器系统、新型无人机、先进传感器和隐形技术以及空中作战云网络。

由于行业工作分担纠纷，FCAS 项目延误了近两年，最终在 2022 年 12 月，FCAS 主承包商签署了一项协议，以推进 1B 阶段，在此期间，行业合作伙伴将在接下来的两年内最终确定该项目的架构。

法国空军参谋长斯特凡·米勒将军在6月8日接受《防务新闻》采访时表示，第一阶段B已于今年4月正式启动，计划持续到2025年。他表示，第二阶段将重点研发战斗机原型机，预计在2029年进行演示飞行——比原计划晚两年。

薇薇安·马奇是驻德国斯图加特的一名记者，主要负责《防务新闻》的欧洲报道。她此前曾为《国家防务杂志》、《防务日报》、《卫星通讯》、《外交政策》和《代顿每日新闻》撰稿。2020年，她荣获防务媒体奖最佳青年防务记者称号。