FCAS / SCAF

The Franco-German-Spanish sixth-generation air-combat programme built around a crewed fighter, uncrewed remote carriers and a combat cloud, whose joint fighter element was abandoned in 2026.

Overview

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), known in French as the Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF) and in Spanish as FSAC, was conceived as a connected family of crewed and uncrewed air-combat capabilities rather than a single aircraft. Its Next Generation Weapon System comprised a crewed New Generation Fighter (NGF), expendable and recoverable remote carriers, and a secure combat cloud connecting aircraft, uncrewed systems, satellites and ground assets. Airbus describes FCAS as a system of systems intended to distribute information and effects across multiple platforms.

France, Germany and Spain planned to introduce the NGF around 2040 as a successor to the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon. The programme was commonly estimated at approximately €100 billion, although no final acquisition plan or total funded value was established. Its central fighter project ultimately foundered over incompatible national requirements, industrial leadership and intellectual-property control. Germany and France abandoned the shared NGF in June 2026, while retaining the FCAS name for the combat cloud and other elements of the wider architecture, according to Politico and AeroTime.

🔒 The full FCAS / SCAF file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →