Belgium will join Europe’s flagship Future Combat Air System (FCAS) as an observer state in the coming weeks, the country’s defense minister told Euractic.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is a European fighter aircraft program being developed by France’s Dassault Aviation, Germany’s Airbus and Spain’s Indra Sistemas, and is one of the continent’s largest joint arms projects.
FCAS fighters are expected to take to the skies in 2040, replacing France’s Rafale and Germany and Spain’s Eurofighter Typhoon. Germany and France signed a framework agreement in 2017, with Spain joining by 2020.
The trilateral program aimed at producing a new fighter aircraft for Europe will be a decisive step towards further European defense cooperation in developing new systems.
“Belgium stands ready to confirm its observer status for the FCAS program in the coming weeks and to cooperate with France, Germany and Spain,” Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder told Euractic.
As observer countries, the country and its industry are not involved in program decision-making, but share information to prepare for further collaboration with partners, which is common during the research and development phase of such programs. It is.
The next step towards Belgium’s full participation will last another six months.
Dedonder’s comments came after the city of Brussels announced in June that it would work to obtain “observer” status for the project as a first step towards full participation.
Her announcement, just six months later, demonstrates the commitment of Belgium and its industry to participate in the joint construction of Europe’s future next-generation fighter aircraft systems.
At the same time, the European defense market is focused on two sixth-generation aircraft programs: the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Aircraft System (FCAS) and the British-led Tempest fighter project. Pressure has been building for some time on EU member states to choose sides.
In order to become FCAS “observers”, industries in each country have been having discussions in recent months not only internally but also with French, German, and Spanish nationals to understand where their company’s added value lies and how to participate in the development of FCAS. I considered whether it was possible. Officially at a later stage.
One of the sources familiar with the file told Euractic that the Belgians “need to negotiate to join the program.”
France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus will manufacture the jet, while France’s Safran and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines will jointly develop the new jet’s engines. Spain’s Indra is contributing with radar technology.
Tough negotiations await
According to information from Euractiv, the Belgian Council of Ministers will be presented with a follow-up to the negotiations during the first quarter of 2024.
The group is expected to grant permission to allow Belgium to formally participate in the program as an observer and assert its position in the project.
When the Belgian government expressed interest in participating as an observer, industry representatives said, “We have to say what can be built, where it can fit into the jet project, and the other participants have to agree to that.” ”, a source said. The file he conveyed to Euractiv.
Within six months of obtaining observer status, Belgium and the other three countries will have to iron out the difficult details of the division of labor.
A dispute between France’s Dassault and Germany’s Airbus over the division of labor to best reflect the best capabilities of both companies stalled the project for a year.
The program is in its 1B phase, and the industry has begun work on a demonstrator airplane with the goal of announcing it in 2027.
Belgium’s move to join FCAS gives new impetus to the largely dormant FCAS program, after participants have spent years fighting over how to share the burden across industries and countries. there is a possibility.
Showtime for small businesses
This small country is home to several major aerospace companies, such as Sonaca and Orizio, but is also home to a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“The selected companies may be large companies, but they also include small and medium-sized enterprises that produce high-tech components,” DeDonder said.
The country’s industry has experience in large-scale capacity development, having contributed to the A400M cargo plane and the US-made F-16 fighter jet and their maintenance.
Once Belgium becomes an observer, it can still decide not to become a full-fledged participant in the program.
However, while the Alexander de Croo government invested 1.8 billion euros in research and development, the previous government invested 800 million euros, indicating a stance to step up investment.
For Belgium, “participating in the FCAS program will benefit the country’s aerospace economy by providing visibility into orders and production in the long term and developing expertise in this field,” Dedonder said. told Euractic.
[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski]
(Aurélie Pugnet | Euractiv.com)
