Airbus and France's Dassault have announced (HERE) the joint development of something called the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) - essentially a new European fighter project but with enhanced capabilities, including drones flying in combination and future cruise missiles. The fighter may not even be piloted. This is not being linked directly to Brexit in the press although The Telegraph (HERE) are suggesting it's a threat to a century of British fighter jet engineering.
This won't have an immediate impact since it is intended that FCAS will replace the current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale fighter aircraft between 2035 and 2040 but it's an example of the creeping, adverse effect that leaving the EU will have on this country.
Behind The Telegraph headline is the 2016 announcement of a UK - France collaboration based on a two year feasibility study for FCAS (HERE) that began in 2014. Six industry partners from Britain and France: BAE Systems, Dassault Aviation, Thales France, Leonardo Airborne and Space Systems (formally Selex ES), Rolls-Royce and Safran were to be involved. Airbus and Germany were not mentioned at all.
BAE was, in 2016 to be the "prime contractor" but there is nothing about the Dassault FCAS announcement on it's website (HERE).
I assume Brexit played a part, perhaps even the major part, in France apparently turning away from Britain and preferring Germany.
It seems inconceivable that without Brexit there could have been such a collaboration on a European fighter, crucial to the defence of Europe, without British involvement.
If BAE and other British companies are not a party to the programme, and I assume there is no guarantee now that they will be, the impact on this country would be significant. These projects are worth billions - as a buyer or a seller. We would either have to choose to buy the European FCAS, switch to buying whatever the USA has to offer or develop our own. The last option would be impossibly expensive unless we can get other nations to share development costs and buy the finished products. This is the only option if we want to preserve our own fighter jet manufacturing capability. But who will buy a British FCAS?
This is both a result and a microcosm of Brexit. Are we to stay close to the EU, move to become a more substantial US trading partner or stand alone as global Britain? Over to you Mrs May.
