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Aircraft at core of the Future Combat Air System canned as parties could not decide who leads on the work
One of Europe’s two major next-gen fighter aircraft programs has been hit hard by differences between France and Germany, the two main participants, leaving the UK-Italy-Japan's Tempest as the main contender.Reports say that the Future Combat Air System (FCAS, or Système de Combat Aérien du Futur – SCAF – in French) has been shelved by German Chancellor Merz and French President Macron.The program dates back to at least 2017, and was expected to produce a test flight of a technology demonstration airframe by 2026 or 2027, with the aircraft coming in to operational service by 2040.
A full-scale mock-up of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) next-generation fighter is displayed outdoors at the Paris Air Show in June last year
Pic credit: VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock
