The famous and complex European defense program Scaf is one of the stars of the Paris Air Show, which opened its doors this Monday after a four-year absence due to Covid.
This air combat system of the future developed by France, Germany and Spain, and which will cost tens of billions of euros, also welcomed a new member on Monday: Belgium. But on the side of planemaker Dassault Aviation, the reception seems pretty mixed.
The executive director bowed to the political will but his statements underlined a certain bitterness towards the neighboring country: “It may give the idea that one day Belgium will buy a non-US plane.”
For Eric Trappier, Belgium is wrong to buy American
It is because the Belgians have, in fact, up to now favored the United States for their military aircraft. In 2018, Brussels, along with other European countries, opted for the F-35 transatlantic fighter made by Lockheed Martin over a European jet like the Rafale (produced by Dassault) or the Eurofighter.
Earlier this month, during a Senate hearing, Eric Trappier had already openly expressed his opposition to Belgium’s entry into the program. “I heard it said that we could give Belgian companies jobs right away. No. If they force it on me, I will fight. But I don’t see why I would give Belgians jobs today,” Eric Trappier said.
But Emmanuel Macron announced it on Monday, Belgium joining the ambitious and expensive program as an observer.
“The more partners we have, the more difficult it is”
For Eric Trappier, the incorporation of new countries also raises the thorny question of the distribution of tasks within a program that has already suffered many delays. The project had also been stalled for over a year due to differences between Dassault and Airbus.
Difficult but also ineffective, according to the CEO of Dassault Aviation, who criticizes the European strategy. “Malheureusement, l’Europe veut continuer à faire le ‘juste retour’, c’est-à-dire qu’en fonction de ce que chaque pays donne en terme de budget, elle veut un retour sur son territoire”, critique-t -He. “This is not how the best planes are made,” adds Éric Trappier.
So will the Scaf see the light of day by 2040 as initially planned or will further dissensions risk delaying the program?
Scaf, what exactly is it?
SCAF (System for Combat Air of the Future) is not a single aircraft, but a global system. It revolves around an aircraft (the NGF, Next Generation Fighter) equipped with a suite of next generation weapons and a swarm of drones. This device is connected, through a “combat cloud”, with the other military means (land, air and sea) involved in an operation. This aerial system will be at the heart of collaborative combat.
Source: BFM TV
