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Dassault FCAS (Future Combat Air System)

2025 MODERN AIRCRAFT X-PLANE FUTURE FLIGHT

History of Dassault FCAS (Future Air Combat System)

The future of sixth-generation fighter jets has arrived, as several companies in the West have started (or are about to start) a series of studies to clarify the requirements for a completely new design. For Dassault and defense group Airbus from France, the research is the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which will be created in early 2019.

The aircraft will be a concept study that lays the groundwork for a potential future fighter, building on the framework of existing systems and weapons as well as entirely new ones.

Spain will join the French duo, with Spain expressing interest in being part of the FCAS programme in the future.

At this early stage, Dassault offered an FCAS concept with a dual side-by-side engine layout for maximum survivability in contested airspace. The engines, jointly developed by France and Germany and supplied by Safran and MTU, each provide more than 30,000 pounds of thrust and afterburner capacity, enabling the aircraft to reach supersonic speeds. The Next Generation (NG) fighter will also feature smooth contours and hard edges, while promoting "stealth" through special body coatings and body styling. The wing main aircraft will have sharp lines and a pseudo-delta configuration - negating the use of a horizontal stabilizer, while also conforming nicely to the established shape of the fuselage.

Square air intakes are designed to suck in engine pairings and are usually mounted on either side of the fuselage. Add to that all, a high degree of maneuverability for close encounters.

Unlike other future-oriented unmanned combat platform concepts, the Dassault Approach will balance human pilots in a single-seat, fully digital, highly automated cockpit environment.

At this point, the Airworthiness Technology Demonstrator is expected to take off sometime in the next decade (around 2025). The aircraft could then enter service around 2040 - ushering in a new era of fighter jets.