PARIS \u2013 The air force chiefs representing the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) partner nations took a step toward establishing a synergistic concept of air warfare on June 21, signing a joint document outlining the path ahead as the trinational program moves forward to a new phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
French Air and Space Force Chief of Staff Gen. St\u00e9phane Mille, German Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz and Spanish Air and Space Force Chief of Staff Gen. Javier Salto Mart\u00ednez-Avial signed a \u201ccollaborative air combat\u201d document Wednesday morning in a small ceremony during the biennial Paris Air Show here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
French Air Force Gen. Jean-Luc Moritz, the service\u2019s FCAS director, described the document as \u201ca common operational vision\u201d highlighting the main requirements and challenges to design a \u201cnext-generation warfare system fit for this future collaborative combat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France and Germany first launched the FCAS program in 2017, and Spain joined as an equal partner in 2020. The endeavor aims to deliver a wide gamut of cutting-edge aerospace technologies to the three air forces by roughly 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the new air warfare doctrine itself is not yet publicly available, Moritz explained its key tenets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The warplane thrust of the FCAS program \u2013 considered the cornerstone of the future system-of-systems \u2013 will henceforth be designated as a \u201ccommand fighter\u201d aircraft, meaning \u201ca standalone combat capability providing the ability to control unmanned components and to command other combat aircraft, being able to perform C2 [command-and-control] functions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new name denotes how both the \u201ccommand\u201d and \u201cfighter\u201d elements are equally important, Moritz said. On the command side, the aircraft will employ artificial intelligence (AI) and data link technologies to allow pilots to also perform battlefield management functions while in the air. Meanwhile, the aircraft will also need to act as a traditional fighter to survive future threat environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA balanced command fighter is what we need,\u201d Moritz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to drones accompanying the envisioned aircraft, the collaborative air warfare doctrine will use \u201cswarming and teaming\u201d tactics alongside artificial intelligence to create unpredictability for the adversary, according to Moritz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the program\u2019s combat cloud pillar will be \u201cthe main challenge\u201d of the project, he added. \u201cMesh, redundant, and heterogeneous networks between any contributors of the Collaborative Air Warfare must avoid any single point of failure,\u201d said Moritz. Key requirements includes the ability to withstand communications jamming, a high level of discretion and dynamic cybersecurity practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n