French/German/Spanish 6th generation stealth fighter FCAS/SCAF's New Generation Fighter (NGF)

In what seemed like an inevitability over the last year or so has finally happened. The Franco-German-Spanish FCAS/SCAF's New Generation Fighter (NGF), the tri-national 6th generation manned stealth fighter was the centerpiece of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF).

According to sources including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged French President Emmanuel Macron to pull the plug on the NGF. The German newspaper cited unnamed government sources in Berlin. Reportedly, the French and German leaders concluded that the companies involved — Dassault and Airbus — have been unable to reach agreement on key aspects of the project, specifically relating to the jointly developed fighter jet.

At this stage, it is reported that Merz and Macron cannot see a future for the NGF, although it is apparently still unclear whether the French government fully shares this assessment and is prepared to accept its consequences.

FCAS/SCAF New Generation Fighter (NGF) Concept (courtesy of Dassault)

Industrial squabbles between Dassault and Airbus plagued the program for at least a year now. Disagreements over workshare and technology transfer were irreconcilable. This reporter puts the blame primarily on Dassault and its greed for the bulk of the workshare and hesitancy over transferring technology to Airbus. This is deja vu all over again when Dassault couldn't come to terms with other Eurofighter partners to develop a European 4th generation fighter and pulled out of that program to go it alone and developed the Rafale.

European 4th Generation Fighters - Dassault Rafale (left), Eurofighter Typhoon (right)

Since the industry squabbles had become public, we also learned that their were differences in the requirements of the aircraft. France needed an aircraft that could carry nuclear weapons and be carrier-cable (just like the Rafale) which necessitated a smaller airframe. Germany needed a long-range interceptor which necessitated a larger airframe. Even after Germany proposed two separate airframes to meet their respective countries' different requirements, the continued industry squabbles would eventually kill the program.

Model of French PANG aircraft carrier showing FCAS/SCAF New Generation Fighters (NGF) on its flight deck (courtesy of Naval News)

What is the way forward for these two countries? I suspect France will go it alone as they did with the Rafale. As for Germany, options include joining the Anglo-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) or a partnership with Sweden's Saab whose own 6th generation fighter effort, Concept Program Future Air Combat System” (Konceptet Framtidens Stridsflyg, or KFS), is now in its early stages of development and whose timeline may sync up with Germany's. How the NGF's cancellation effects the plans of partner nation Spain and observer nation Belgium is unknown at this time.

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