Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:04:18-4:06:04

Why FCAS and GCAP turn on industrial workshare

Competing claims to aircraft workshare complicate FCAS, while any move into GCAP would reopen an existing industrial bargain.

Defence IndustryFranceFuture Combat Air SystemTempest (GCAP Combat Aircraft)GermanyGlobal Combat Air ProgrammeMilitary AviationMultinational Procurement
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Question

What comfort is there for French and German observers of FCAS, and could one country instead join GCAP?

Short answer

A settlement remains possible. Moving into GCAP would require agreement with partners whose industrial shares are already allocated.

Notes

The FCAS difficulty discussed here concerns which national industry gets to build the aircraft. French and German demands for employment and industrial capacity can conflict within the same joint programme. Possible outcomes include a settlement, one partner continuing independently, or a partner seeking entry into GCAP. None is settled in this forecast. Britain, Japan and Italy already have a GCAP workshare arrangement, so a newcomer would have to offer a contribution that justified changing it.