See also yesterday’s submission of [FCAS, Tempest fighter jet programmes will merge -Italy’s air force chief](https://old.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/r0ljjn/fcas_tempest_fighter_jet_programmes_will_merge/) on Reuters for some discussion from users here; I submitted this one as a complement to that because *The Drive*’s Warzone focuses on military coverage and has a more-extensive article.
So when it’s ready it will be one generation behind the American plane….
Sounds good in theory until the UK and French defence sector fail to agree on workshare arrangements and waste several years of project time in negotiations.
Fantasy.
It’ll happen just as soon as the French allow RR to be the engine maker for the merged concept.
If Italy had had the same military freedom as France from right after WWII, and not just from the 1980s when the USA stopped fighting the Italian Communists with all they had, maybe at this point Italy would be ready to build an aircraft carrier similar in size and capabilities to Charles De Gaulle. However, history worked out differently, and while Italy’s shipbuilding and Navy could build up to have a somewhat serious aircraft carrier in like two generations, that type of ship will loose importance and feasibility rapidly. Therefore Italy will never have a need for a catapult-launched fighter jet like France does, and nobody else will either.
Now, the only other way that money for a catapult-launched jet could be given by more countries that aren’t Germany (because of the treaties that they have with France) is to have the famous “European” aircraft carrier inside a “European” Navy. But that is also very far away, we are just starting to tackle the proposal of a single international brigade and its governance.
The Italian military chiefs are looking at this from a financial optic, to avoid putting unnecessary strain and competition on European companies which still have to compete and collaborate on other efforts and could pay big prices for this duplication, but probably also from the bad experiences in previous European joint programs. While these things do make sense, the elephants in the room about F-35 vs non-F-35 countries and France’s naval requirements seem too hard to reconcile.
Future combat wings will be mostly controller/drone swarms, so this guy is right if they really want to work together.
No way France and UK share this kind of military project anytime soon. At this point UK just behave like the 51st state of America and France will not get along with this.
He’s right as the market for 6th gen fighters will be even smaller. However, France and Germany have already had issues with the work-share of the SCAF/FCAS program. Can’t imagine that adding the UK and Italy would help. Not to mention that France would need a CATOBAR version which no one else would want.
i sure hope not.
This is not happening. It would be nice if there was (wider) international cooperation as European nations cannot fund advanced fast jet development independently. Hell, even the USA started bringing in partners for F-35.
Alas, this next gen merger is as likely as me becoming a billionaire.
11 comments
See also yesterday’s submission of [FCAS, Tempest fighter jet programmes will merge -Italy’s air force chief](https://old.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/r0ljjn/fcas_tempest_fighter_jet_programmes_will_merge/) on Reuters for some discussion from users here; I submitted this one as a complement to that because *The Drive*’s Warzone focuses on military coverage and has a more-extensive article.
So when it’s ready it will be one generation behind the American plane….
Sounds good in theory until the UK and French defence sector fail to agree on workshare arrangements and waste several years of project time in negotiations.
Fantasy.
It’ll happen just as soon as the French allow RR to be the engine maker for the merged concept.
If Italy had had the same military freedom as France from right after WWII, and not just from the 1980s when the USA stopped fighting the Italian Communists with all they had, maybe at this point Italy would be ready to build an aircraft carrier similar in size and capabilities to Charles De Gaulle. However, history worked out differently, and while Italy’s shipbuilding and Navy could build up to have a somewhat serious aircraft carrier in like two generations, that type of ship will loose importance and feasibility rapidly. Therefore Italy will never have a need for a catapult-launched fighter jet like France does, and nobody else will either.
Now, the only other way that money for a catapult-launched jet could be given by more countries that aren’t Germany (because of the treaties that they have with France) is to have the famous “European” aircraft carrier inside a “European” Navy. But that is also very far away, we are just starting to tackle the proposal of a single international brigade and its governance.
The Italian military chiefs are looking at this from a financial optic, to avoid putting unnecessary strain and competition on European companies which still have to compete and collaborate on other efforts and could pay big prices for this duplication, but probably also from the bad experiences in previous European joint programs. While these things do make sense, the elephants in the room about F-35 vs non-F-35 countries and France’s naval requirements seem too hard to reconcile.
Future combat wings will be mostly controller/drone swarms, so this guy is right if they really want to work together.
No way France and UK share this kind of military project anytime soon. At this point UK just behave like the 51st state of America and France will not get along with this.
He’s right as the market for 6th gen fighters will be even smaller. However, France and Germany have already had issues with the work-share of the SCAF/FCAS program. Can’t imagine that adding the UK and Italy would help. Not to mention that France would need a CATOBAR version which no one else would want.
i sure hope not.
This is not happening. It would be nice if there was (wider) international cooperation as European nations cannot fund advanced fast jet development independently. Hell, even the USA started bringing in partners for F-35.
Alas, this next gen merger is as likely as me becoming a billionaire.