Spanish industry achieves full incorporation into phase 1A of the NGWS-FCAS program.

The DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement), acting on behalf of the governments of Spain, Germany and France, has formalized the contractual amendment permitting Spanish industry’s full integration into Phase 1A Technology Demonstrators activities of the NGWS/FCAS project, which was initially launched by France and Germany on February 20, 2020. A few weeks earlier, the DGA had formalized another contractual amendment to incorporate the activities of the Sensors Pillar into this Phase 1A contract, as they didn’t form part of the initial launch.

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NGWS/FCAS is a strategic project that will represent a true technological revolution and enable Spanish industries to compete with other European companies on equal terms (Picture source: Airbus)

With these two modifications for Phase 1A, the industrial leaders appointed in Spain by the Ministry of Defense are integrated in the following manner, with Indra as the national coordinator:
• In the Next Generation Fighter Pillar, led by Dassault Aviation, Airbus D&S SAU is the Main Partner alongside Airbus D&S GmbH.
• In the Engine Pillar, Safran Aircraft Engines is the Main Contractor, with ITP Aero and MTU Aero Engines as the Main Partners.
• In the Remote Carriers Pillar, led by Airbus D&S GmbH, SATNUS (a consortium comprising GMV, SENER Aeroespacial and TECNOBIT) is the Main Partner alongside MBDA.
• In the System of Systems/Combat Cloud Pillar, led by Airbus D&S GmbH, Indra is the Main Partner alongside Thales.
• In the JIPC/SIMLAB (Joint Inter-pillar Consistency/Simulation Laboratory) Pillar, Indra is a Co-Contractor alongside Dassault and Airbus D&S GmbH.
• In the Sensors Pillar, Indra is the Main Contractor, with Thales and the German FCMS as the Main Partners.
• In the ELOT (Low Observable Technologies) Pillar, Airbus D&S SAU is the Main Contractor, with Dassault and Airbus D&S GmbH as the Main Partners.

This achievement comes after, in June this year, Spanish industry joined the JCS (Joint Concept Study) launched by France and Germany in February 2019. The contract positions Indra as a co-contractor together with Dassault and Airbus GmbH and Airbus SAU as the technical manager of a large number of the work packages.

Spain will thus reach cruising speed and join France and Germany in all the activities. Our country will maintain a position of equality with respect to its partners in all the decisions reached during the program, ensuring its participation in the tasks with the highest value.

For several months, Spanish industry has been working with a close eye on phases 1B and 2, which will extend the project until 2027. The negotiations are progressing at a good pace within a climate of cooperation between all its partners with the aim of ensuring that the project is a European success story.

The Ministry of Defence’s commitment and its determination to turn the NGWS/FCAS into a State Project constitutes a turning point for Spanish industry, which will take part in the initial stages of the development and demonstration of new technologies onwards, subsequently allowing the design, development and production of what is set to be the most ambitious defence program ever launched on the continent by 2040.

It is a strategic project that will represent a true technological revolution and enable Spanish industries to compete with other European companies on equal terms. It opens up a stage of intensive research and development work on next-generation technologies of a dual (civil and military) nature that will determine Spain's future. It’s also a project that will require the participation of companies and research centers throughout Spain.