A FULL-SCALE mock-up of the multinational Next Generation Fighter (NGF) was unveiled at the Paris Air Show on June 17. The covers came off the concept model as French President Emmanuel Macron and the defence ministers of France, Germany and Spain - together with the chief executives of Airbus Defence & Space and Dassault - signed a framework agreement on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), or Systeme de Combat Aerien du Futur (SCAF) under the French designation. Defence ministers Florence Parly of France, Ursula von der Leyen of Germany and Spain's Margarita Robles have made a legal commitment to the production of a "complete system of combat aircraft and drones", intended to enter service by 2040. While the NGF model was lacking in detail, the French defence ministry noted that it was "not a mere artist's view but the result of the first technological decisions made between the countries concerned". It was shown alongside Remote Carrier (RC) mock-ups developed by MBDA Systems.
展开▼
