Future Combat Air System (FCAS)

By Tony Osborne
Airbus proposes partial reset of European FCAS program to address Ukraine war lessons and industrial partner disputes over next-gen fighter requirements.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Indra is starting to build air surveillance radars on the expectation of orders to address military demand for faster delivery cycles, its CEO says.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Robert Wall
MTU Aero Engines expects the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program to evolve to the pursuit of two different aircraft types.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Airbus expects the Eurodrone uncrewed aircraft program to survive even absent French participation.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Germany and France are poised to decide within days the future of the Future Combat Air System program, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
The UK and France are to launch studies on the development of a successor to the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Robert Wall
France and Germany are poised to make a decision on whether they can repair the fractured defense industrial relationship for the Future Combat Air System.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
India’s Defense Ministry is seeking to join one of the foreign government-industry consortia developing competing sixth-generation fighters.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Thierry Dubois, Robert Wall
The combat cloud being designed to tie all the elements of the Future Combat Air System is more important than the ailing fighter element of the endeavor, argues the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall, Thierry Dubois
Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier has rejected a German idea for a two-fighter approach in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Hensoldt sees a potential $1 billion opportunity in Germany’s ambition to field an airborne electronic attack capability, with a possible competition soon.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Robert Wall, Jens Flottau
MTU would like to keep an engine partnership with its French and Spanish partners on FCAS going, regardless of what happens to the fighter element of the program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jens Flottau, Robert Wall
With demand booming in commercial and defense aviation, why are Airbus programs in turmoil?
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Jens Flottau, Robert Wall
On location in Toulouse, Aviation Week's Jens Flottau and Robert Wall discuss the implications of Airbus' latest results.
Aerospace

By Robert Wall
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants the military to do a proper requirements assessment for a potential next-generation fighter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall, Tony Osborne, Sash Tusa
Editors are joined by analyst Sash Tusa to discuss the fallout of the Munich Security Conference and Saudi Arabia's World Defense Show.
Check 6

By Jens Flottau
MTU Aero Engines' new boss wants to maintain the engine partnership with Safran to jointly pursue the fighter programs likely to emerge from the anticipated divorce between France and Germany on the Next-Generation Fighter portion of their FCAS.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
German aerospace lobby BDLI is calling for a dual-fighter strategy under FCAS, effectively urging France and others to go separate ways while maintaining the veneer of cooperation.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
The Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System program is starting to focus on what elements can be preserved even if the partners go their separate ways.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall, Tony Osborne
German chancellor Friedrich Merz says Berlin and Paris will make a decision in a few weeks on whether to jointly pursue a future combat aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
FCAS is suffering due to a slow pace of decision-making rather than political will to work together, France’s ambassador to Germany says.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall, Tony Osborne, Richard Aboulafia
Richard Aboulafia joins Check 6 to discuss how 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for two next-generation fighter programs conceived in Europe: FCAS and GCAP.
Check 6

By Richard Aboulafia
The program looks poised to thrive in a world where the U.S. has alienated its best friends.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
An effort by France, Germany and Spain on their cooperative Future Combat Air System fighter program will continue into 2026.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Anna Sliwon-Stewart
In the two years since our last analysis of the Swedish Air Force, Sweden has achieved several objectives aimed at modernizing its air capabilities.
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