Indra, one of the world’s leading technology and consulting companies, has bolstered its participation in the European Defence Program NGWS/FCAS (New Generation Weapon System/Future Combat Air System) by formally joining the project in execution of the Joint Concept Study (JCS), launched by France and Germany in February 2019. The French agency DGA has signed as the procurement entity acting on behalf of the Defence Ministries of France, Germany and Spain. Indra has signed a contractual amendment that positions the company as a contractor of the Joint Concept Study, along with the national coordinators of France (Dassault) and Germany (Airbus).
Indra thus cements its role as coordinator of Spanish industry in the program and its representative to the industrial coordinators of France and Germany. This amendment materializes the agreement Indra had already completed with Dassault and Airbus, which means the permanent entry of Spanish industry in the Joint Concept Study and a notable step forward in its participation in the NGWS/FCAS program, paving the way for the other leading Spanish firms in the program: Airbus, ITP and SATNUS. The Joint Concept Study strives to investigate and define system capabilities and common architecture for the NGWS systems, defining and updating the technology development road map.
In addition to this achievement within the Joint Concept Study, Indra has made strides in other ways to strengthen its position as the Spanish leader of four of the eight pillars upon which the program is structured. The company has signed international industrial agreements to lead, alongside Dassault and Airbus, the two transversal pillars (the aforementioned Joint Concept Study and the inter-pillar consistency/SIMLAB), to lead the Sensors Pillar, teamed with Thales and German FCMS, and take part as Main Partner, along with Thales, in the Combat Cloud, led by Airbus in Germany.
The role Indra plays as coordinator in the NGWS/FCAS program has the goal of ensuring Spanish industry’s participation is at the highest level. The development of the program will generate a major influx of knowledge and added value for Spanish companies and provide them with the opportunity to develop cutting-edge products in both defence and civilian environments. The appointment of Indra as national industrial coordinator of the program ensures the maximum return on the program for Spanish industry and sovereignty over the technologies developed by these companies. It is estimated that the program will generate billions of euros in investment in the coming decades, in both the development phase and later in the production phase.
Indra, as national coordinator, will represent the interests of the entire national industry, respecting the independence of the various companies participating in the project and strengthening its position with regard to companies from the other participating countries.Indra’s commitment as Spain’s national coordinator means ensuring the highest yield and the utmost quality of the NGWS/FCAS program for all of Spanish industry (defence and civil). All this takes the form of business generation, the development of its export capacity, the creation of technology also usable in the civil sphere, and high-value job creation.Initial estimates point to a potential figure of 300 billion euros from the program over the next 40 years.
