The European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) or SCAF project revolves around development of a next generation fighter, remote carriers and a combat cloud. (Airbus)
BELFAST — A senior Belgian official revealed that by June 2025 her nation will become the fourth partner nation behind Germany, France and Spain to join the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/SCAF sixth generation fighter program.
Ludivine Dedonder, Belgium’s defense minister, announced the expected timeline in a LinkedIn post last week, which comes after the country first committed to the project at the Paris Air Show in June.
Brussels will also sign a FCAS observer status membership agreement next month, according to Dedonder, which she referred to as a “crucial step towards global security and innovation.”
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“The development of a next-generation air combat capability is a unique opportunity for Europe. In doing so, Belgium is committed to peace, stability and innovation in defence, building together a secure and prosperous future for our nation and our partners,” she said.
Once Brussels joins the program as a full partner, details about the role it will play at both a funding and an industrial level are expected to be shared. France’s Dassault, Germany’s Airbus and Spain’s Indra currently make up a trio of FCAS industry leads, committed to development of a Next Generation Fighter (NGF), Remote Carriers or adjunct aircraft and a combat cloud, designed as a multi-domain capable, data rich network, allowing cross platform information sharing.
Belgium’s FCAS entry has not been without controversy. A month before Brussels decided to join the effort, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier opposed talk about such a move because of Brussels’s F-35 acquisition, which went against a rival pitch by the manufacturer to replace F-16 jets with Rafale aircraft. Trappier went so far as to say that he would “fight” against any future decision that included giving Belgian companies jobs on the FCAS program, according to the Brussels Times website.
For the moment, France, Germany and Spain are assessing four NGF designs before selecting a final one in the first quarter of 2025.
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