Le résumé
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme is essential to the renewal of combat aviation in France, Germany and Spain by 2040 (the end-of-service date for the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon). It is also essential to preserving Europe's strategic autonomy and its defence industry and technology base. Building a next-gen air combat system with our German and Spanish partners will allow us to have the best technology and confront all threats in the coming decades.
At the end of its work, the senatorial mission identified four main stakes for the FCAS programme: reach a new milestone in the first half of 2021 to make the programme irreversible, rise to the challenges of 2040-2080 (the FCAS's probable lifespan), make industrial cooperation as efficient as possible while avoiding the pitfalls encountered by some of the previous cooperation programmes, and take into account the European aspect as well as the existence of a competing programme, the Tempest. For each of these stakes, the mission presents concrete proposals.
