(09-19-2025, 10:09 PM)RuchardHurt Wrote: I know this is something you get often. But since the F35 programs beginnings I kind of stopped watching for news about newer airframes.
Could you please give a link that outlines the expectations and the probable reality of such a craft.
Or you could get all fancy with your god like speak of crafts in general! I am sure we all would love to read your personal break down!
FCAS is following NGAD in that it would be a family of systems. It would consist of the Next Generation Weapons System, which itself would consist of swarming drones, and the manned New Generation Fighter. The initial schedule had the NGF flying in 2027, with service entry in 2040. The first flight of NGW with a drone swarm, connected by the combat cloud was planned for 2028-29.
Phase 1A began in 2020, with Dassault and Airbus being prime and main partners for NGF, Airbus and MBDA on unmanned systems, Airbus and Thales on the combat cloud, and Safran and MTU on the engines.
Phase 1B was the begining of sensor integration and things falling apart. In March of this year, the Dassault CEO said that success of the program was recognition by all partners that Dassault was the architect of the program and it would only succeed if there was a prime contractor, being Dassault.
Other than the New Generation Fighter being 6th Gen, there's very little out there, as the program hasn't gotten very far. There was a rendering released in 2020 or 2022 that showed what they wanted NGW to look like.
![[Image: SCAF_NGF-523616-P-BEF36-987.jpg]](https://denyignorance.com/uploader/images/SCAF_NGF-523616-P-BEF36-987.jpg)
The entire program is another example of what happens when Europe tries to do joint programs in the defense industry. They like to talk the talk, but when it comes time to walk the walk, Europe has a very hard time. Until they can get that solved, joint programs between European partners are going to be difficult to pull off at best, impossible at worst.
