The Diplomat
The Ministers of Defense of Spain, Margarita Robles; France, Sébastien Lecornu; and Germany, Boris Pistorius, presented yesterday in Madrid the signing of the contract for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS/NWGS) program. The three ministers also held a trilateral meeting during which they discussed aid to Ukraine, the situation in Africa and the Sahel and in the Indo-Pacific region and the recent evacuation of Sudan.
Prior to the event, as reported by the Ministry of Defense in a press release, the three ministers held a trilateral meeting in which they discussed aid to Ukraine, the situation in Africa and the Sahel and in the Indo-Pacific region or the recent evacuation of Sudan. In this regard, the German minister conveyed his gratitude to Spain for the recent evacuation from Sudan of Spanish citizens and other nationalities.
“This presentation in society of this project highlights that the three countries firmly believe in the defense industry and therefore in the security of citizens,” said Robles during the event, held at the Air and Space Army Headquarters in Madrid. “It is an exciting and essential project for our Air and Space Armies and for our industries, which, working in coordination, will create jobs, talent, new industrial fabric and technology,” she continued.
“The Spanish government has committed a budget of 2.5 billion euros, which highlights the importance we attach to the project. We will continue to promote it slowly but surely,” said Robles. “This Europe of Defense is essential and fundamental in a world full of risks. Everyone understands that we must invest in defense to guarantee the exercise of our rights,” she added.
The FCAS/NWGS program is coordinated by Dassault Aviation in France, Airbus Defense and Space GmbH in Germany, and Indra in Spain. Also participating are: Airbus Defense and Space SAU, EUMET (Safran Aircraft Engines / MTU), ITP Aero, MBDA, SATNUS (GMV / Sener / Tecnobit), Thales and FCMS (Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH / Rohde & Schwarz).
Trilateral meeting
Prior to the presentation of the signing of the contract, the ministers held a trilateral meeting in which Robles had the opportunity to inform her German and French counterparts about the objectives in the field of defense during the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, in the second half of 2023. The defense heads were able to address other issues such as the war in Ukraine, the situation in other conflict zones in Africa and specifically in the Sahel, or in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We have had a very intense meeting. We are three leading countries in Europe and we have precisely that responsibility in the field of industry and in the field of aid to Ukraine, but also in the projection of freedom and peace, not only in Europe but also in the rest of the world,” said the Spanish Minister of Defense. During the meeting, the German Minister expressed his gratitude to Spain for the recent evacuation from Sudan of Spanish citizens and other nationalities.
