European countries are divided into two groups to produce their own 6th gen fighter jets to replace the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. On the one hand, France, Germany and Spain are investing in the New Generation Fighter (NGF), part of a package that includes a combat cloud and an unmanned aerial platform. On the other side are the UK, Sweden and Italy, which have agreed to seek synergies to replace Typhoon and Gripens in the future. Italy, however, wants to merge them.
Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, General Luca Goretti, said that the two programs should merge in the future. “Naturally, these two realities will merge into one because investing huge financial resources in two equivalent programs is unthinkable,” Goretti told Italian lawmakers.
Both projects aim to create 6th generation fighters, more modern and capable than aircraft like the Lockheed Martin F-35. Until the entry into service, expected for 2040, many things can still happen.
