Berlin (ots) – Am 17. und 18. Juni trafen sich die drei Chefs der französischen, spanischen und deutschen Luftwaffe, General Philippe Lavigne, General Javier Salto Martinez-Avial sowie Generalleutnant Ingo Gerhartz zu einem Besuch bei den drei Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Hauptauftragnehmern Dassault Aviation, Indra und Airbus.
An den jeweiligen Industriestandorten, Madrid in Spanien, Manching in Deutschland sowie Saint Cloud Frankreich, informierten sich die Generale aus erster Hand über den Sachstand der gegenwärtigen Konzeptstudie. Darüber hinaus erhielten die Luftwaffenchefs ein Informationsbriefing des Combined Project Teams, das für das Einbringen der operationellen Bedürfnisse der einzelnen Streitkräfte in das Zukunftsprojekt verantwortlich ist.
“Nach schwierigen Verhandlungen haben wir mit den beteiligten Industrien einen Kompromiss gefunden. Dieses technisch anspruchsvolle und für unsere Luftwaffen zukunftsweisende Projekt ist ohne Alternative, wenn wir uns in Europa eine Unabhängigkeit bewahren wollen. Damit stärken wir unsere gemeinsame Verteidigung und sichern Schlüsseltechnologien in Europa. Ich hoffe, im Sinne der Stärkung europäischer Sicherheitsinteressen, dass sich Nationen wie Großbritannien und Italien zu gegebener Zeit an diesem Zukunftsprojekt beteiligen werden.”, summiert Generalleutnant Gerhartz.
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One month after the announcement of the three ministers of France, Germany and Spain on the end of the discussions about the finalization of the next FCAS project phase, the Air Chiefs of France, Germany and Spain, General Philippe Lavigne, Lieutenant-General Ingo Gerhartz and General Javier Salto Martinez-Avial met on 17th/18th of June the three FCAS main contractors: INDRA, AIRBUS and DASSAULT AVIATION. They received first-hand information about the status of the current conceptual studies, starting in Madrid/Spain (INDRA/AIRBUS SAU), followed by Manching/Germany (AIRBUS GMBH) and finishing in Saint Cloud/France (DASSAULT AVIATION). The three Generals were also updated on the FCAS project by the Combined Project Team (CPT) in Arcueil/France. They specifically exchanged their operational perceptions on the progress of the NGWS within a FCAS project (Next Generation Weapon System within a Future Combat Air System), necessary for the the Defense of the three nations in 20 years.
The three Air Chiefs continue to meet on a regular basis in order to keep track of progress within the project NGWS in line with their views and provide their command level operational perspectives. During their visit of the industrial facilities, they received detailed project information from military experts and representatives from industry connected to the project. All Air Chiefs expressed strong appreciation of progress within the project to date, in the spirit of the March 2019 High Level Common Operational Requirements Document, while noting the difficulties caused by the pandemic and the effort made for industrial team building.
During the visit to the CPT, the three Air Chiefs had the opportunity to confirm the value and the importance of the trilateral work performed by the national representatives in the operational and technical areas in order to represent the national views and interests in the project.
With regard to future challenges, the development of NGWS capabilities within Europe is of great importance. On the one hand there is a strong need for the new capabilities NGWS will deliver. On the other hand, the preservation and development of European technologies is crucial to achieve independence and resilience to maintain security in Europe.
Military success becomes increasingly linked to a joint-all-domain warfare capability, a vital attribute that is the nucleus of NGWS within the Future Combat Air System. However, in terms of complexity, NGWS exceeds everything that has ever been imagined and produced in a European cooperation project so far. In order to mature the required technologies and minimize risks to NGWS, the demonstrators’ development represents a major milestone towards an operationally superior and interoperable system of systems. The Air Chiefs are already looking forward to see the project entering the next phase and subsequently to receive the results of the first real life demonstrations in 2027.
Therefore, the Chiefs of the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, the Luftwaffe, and the Ejército del Aire have reaffirmed their strong will to continue their support to the project in order to make it a European success story. This latest meeting has proven once again that intimate exchange and trilateral collaboration at the highest levels remains the backbone of a trusted partnership among the Air Forces.
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