Superhunting, France-Spain and Italia-Germany-Uk- Japan: the possible moves

Madrid also took a position in favour of the continuation of the project. Spain 'remains fully committed' to the Future Combat Air System (Fcas), the Defence Ministry clarified. "Our country remains fully committed to the programme, based on the principles established by the countries (Germany, France and Spain) in the framework agreement signed in June 2019," the ministry indicated in a brief written statement in response to a question from Afp.

The other project is the Gcap: this is a strategic partnership launched in 2022 by Italy, the UK and Japan and their respective industries to collaborate on shared military and industrial objectives in the delivery of a next-generation combat aircraft capability. The combat aircraft, scheduled to enter service in 2035, will feature an intelligent weapon system, a software-based interactive cockpit, integrated sensors, and a next-generation radar capable of providing 10,000 times more data than current systems.

"In December 2022," explains a study by Iai, the International Affairs Institute, "the Tempest programme was transformed into a trilateral initiative with the entry of Japan alongside the United Kingdom and Italia, creating the Global Combat Air Programme (Gcap). Japan's entry was significant in view of its financial capacity, technological alignment and shared experience in the F-35 programme in which London and Rome also participate. In contrast, Sweden's exit was influenced by its preference for developing unmanned aircraft complementary to the Gripen, rather than committing to an entirely new manned platform. The emergence of the Gcap as a joint initiative between the UK, Italia, and Japan,' the document goes on to say, 'effectively ruled out any future merger with the Fcas programme that has since expanded to include Spain, given the divergence in military requirements, governance structures, and industrial priorities.

As far as Italia is concerned, the Iai explains, 'the Gcap will be complementary for a certain period to in-service platforms such as the Eurofighter and F-35, while in the long term it will replace the former. Italia has purchased a total of 118 Eurofighters, including the new Tranche 4 variants recently ordered, which will remain in service until the 1960s and will be interoperable with the Gcap. Italy's F-35 fleet is expanding, with plans to operate a total of 115 aircraft, increasing Italy's mastery of low-observable tactics. Around 2040, the Air Force is likely to operate more than 180 upgraded F-35s and Eurofighters in conjunction with the introduction of the Gcap, consolidating its position as one of the most advanced air forces in Europe.

Could Germany join the Gcap? "We cannot say," replied the undersecretary of Defence, Isabella Rauti. "What we can say," she added, "is only that Germany has officially declared that it is no longer interested in the sixth-generation fighter programme with the French partnership, because this is of public evidence, but we cannot say what Germany's interests will be. Certainly the moment the only European project dedicated to these systems disappears, it is clear that the others become more attractive, and we cannot make any predictions.