On February 17, 2022, a SCAF remote carrier surrogate in the form of a Do-DT25 target drone was deployed from an A400M airlifter

France's FCAS project suggests that stealth will be a key element of its sixth-gen fighter design
The next-generation fighter (NGF) element of the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS/SCAF programme was intended to be ready for service by 2040, but workshare issues might lead the programme to slip

As with the UK-led Tempest project, the FCAS/SCAF programme envisions a sixth-generation fighter as part of an ‘air combat cloud’ that includes various other assets, including unmanned platforms

Dassault’s history of leading aviation programmes has given it the confidence to pursue a similar path with SCAF, although difficulties remain in getting all parties to agree

When the UK FCAS programme was launched in July 2018 the goal was to have Tempests flying alongside Typhoons and F-35s by 2035

Leonardo’s ISANKE domain concept unlocks the potential of sixth-generation sensors by integrating them as a more crucial part of Tempest’s architecture