FCAS, Tempest fighter jet programmes will merge -Italy’s air force chief

8 comments
  1. I’ve got news for him, they won’t^

    The French will never give up making the Engine to RR and the UK won’t move from a best contractor system.

    Basically FCAS is going to come in late, over budget and possibly inferior to Tempest.

    It’s a Multi-role, carrier capable plane that is of no use to any country with F-35s or lacking a Carrier.

  2. Yeah Italy has wanted this to happen for many months, and they will keep saying that, but I don’t think that our government has the power or influence to make it happen. The timelines of F-35 countries and non-F-35 countries just don’t align for them to move all together to a single European aircraft.

  3. Honestly, I don’t believe either aircraft will ever see the light of day. Team FCAS skipped gen 5 and the whole thing will be a failure with France bullying design and production ratios. Tempest is a technology demonstrator to get accepted as a tier one production partner for the USAF programme.

  4. I thought I recalled France being pretty explicit that they wouldn’t merge in some past articles.

  5. What’s wrong with having two separate developments in Europe? Makes sense to reduce risk – eg if one gets stuck or has significant failures. In any case – France and UK wouldn’t want to relinquish their primary roles.

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