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The Spanish Ministry of Defence awards ITP Aero a framework contract for the maintenance of its aircraft engines
May 7, 2020
Spanish leader of the FCAS’s Engine Technology Pillar
ITP Aero will lead the engine technology pillar of the FCAS (Future Combat Air System) programme in Spain, a key project for the development of European defence capabilities and which will entail a highly relevant investment in technology.
The FCAS exceeds the development of a new generation fighter aircraft (NGF), it entails a system of systems, an integrated environment in which aircraft, unmanned aircraft, land and sea vehicles, remote carriers and satellites can operate together, depending on the characteristics of each mission.
This programme is divided into seven technological pillars, each one with its own development of technology projects and demonstrators. Each pillar will be developed from 2020 to 2030, prior to the launch of the complete system.
During the last month of February, the Spanish Ministry of Defence announced the participation of Spain in the FCAS programme, after a first agreement to join the Joint Conceptual Study (JCS) during the Paris Air Show (June 2019).
The JCS, led by the national coordinators of the three countries, Dassault (France), Airbus DS (Germany) and Indra (Spain), aims to identify, based on the requirements established by the Air Forces of the three countries, the different aircraft, engine, remote systems, simulation tools and connectivity requirements. In addition, it’s also in charge of developing the technology plans and demonstrators required to later design and manufacture these systems.
With regard to propulsion, ITP Aero, as the leading aeronautical engine company in Spain, will join its German and French counterparts for the first phase of the programme’s technology and demonstrator development.
Furthermore, as the national leader of the pillar, ITP Aero will represent the interests of the Spanish industry, thus contributing to the development of its technological and industrial base.
For Alvaro Santodomingo, Executive Director of the Defence Business Unit of ITP Aero, “The FCAS is a real commitment to the future, a unique opportunity for us and for the Spanish industry in general, just like the Eurofighter project, which continues to be successful today“.
