The GCAP and FCAS programs, which currently develop 6th-generation fighters, could be merged in the future, believes Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, one of the companies involved in the projects.
In an interview on Thursday, the chief executive considered the merger of the two programs as the “smart way” to do things.
“Each and every country could contribute its financial and technological capacity to a bigger programme for Europe, because that’s what we need at the end,” Faury said, according to Reuters.
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Currently, Great Britain, Italy and Japan are partners in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) while France, Germany and Spain are trying to move forward with the FCAS (Future Combat Air System).
Although the requirements of all countries are quite similar, the dispute for leadership in the programs has prevented a broader understanding.
The GCAP partners, BAE Systems, Leonardo and Mitsubishi, however, seem to have an advantage in the creation of a company with equal participation that will manage the project.
The FCAS, in turn, comes from disagreements between the two main manufacturers, Airbus and Dassault, a traditional supplier of fighter jets.
The differences have reportedly been resolved, but the program has taken longer to reach its milestones.
Window for decision
According to Faury, the window for a decision to merge will be “the next two years”, before the projects are completed.
He sees great synergies even if both remain separate. With budgetary constraints, governments would eventually come to the conclusion that working together would be the best – and perhaps only – way out.
The division of labor with so many players, however, could once again be an obstacle to the European project of not depending on technology from the United States.
In recent years, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightening II 5th generation fighter has been winning all competitions in Europe, outperforming previous generation fighters such as the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen.
