This was to be expected, and indeed planned: the Spanish embedded electronics company Indra, also designated by Madrid as main contact for Spain in the FCAS program to the great dismay of Airbus, requested control of the electronic warfare component of the program bringing together France, Germany and Spain to design the Air Combat System of the Future. Indra relies on his designation to piloting the AEA program for Airborn Electronic Attack of the European Permanent Structured Cooperation Program, or PESCO, which also brings together France (Thales), Germany (Hensoldt), Italy (Fincantieri) and Sweden (Saab), i.e. 5 of the 6 partners of the FCAS and Tempest programs Europeans.
Madrid's claim is far from being meaningless, or lacking relevance. Spain knows that it will not succeed in imposing itself in the “major areas” of cooperation around the FCAS, such as the design of the NGF (Next-Generation Fighter), the system of systems, the new generation propulsion , or radar and weapons systems, the preserve of large Franco-German groups. But in terms of electronic warfare, there is no undisputed leader in Europe, even though the field is set to become central in on-board systems, whether aerial or not. By positioning itself on the AEA and FCAS program, Indra therefore ensures that it becomes, in the more or less short term, this European reference, a guarantee of sustainability in the future.
The fact remains that other European players have proven skills in this area, such as Thales and MBDA which jointly designed the SPECTRA (System for Protection and Avoidance of Fire Conduct of the Rafale), or the actors of the Pretorian DASS (Defensive Aid Sub-System) of the Typhoon, while Indra played only a limited role in this program. It is therefore not at all certain that Paris, like Berlin, will be satisfied with this requirement, if only on questions of prior experience and proven skills in the field. This is where the management of PESCO's AEA program, also carried out by Indra, can play a determining role, since it will serve as a test bed for the real skills of the Spanish company, before applying them to the FCAS. himself.
Regardless, the fact that one of the 3 major referents of the FCAS program designates Electronic Warfare as its privileged area of expertise is an excellent sign, indicating the extent to which this component, until now relatively put in the background by European industrialists, is today at the heart of concerns on the old continent. Announcements made in recent weeksBy Airbus DS, Saab, around Pesco and now around FCAS, attest to this.