Diehl Aviation advances avionics technology for Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS)

Central to Diehl’s involvement is Diehl Aerospace, its long-standing joint venture with Thales, which focuses on advanced avionic systems. The joint venture is bringing together engineering and operational expertise to help shape the future of European military aviation.

“FCAS is not only a cornerstone of Europe’s defense autonomy, but also a catalyst for future aerospace technologies,” said Florian Maier, CEO of Diehl Aerospace. “At the heart of our contribution are high-performance avionics solutions that process vast volumes of mission data, apply AI to assist pilot decision-making, and deliver mission-critical information – clearly, securely, and in real time.”

The FCAS includes the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS), made up of a crewed Next Generation Fighter (NGF), unmanned Remote Carriers (RCs), and supporting systems across various domains. These components require a revolutionary avionics infrastructure capable of distributing real-time tactical data and decisions.

Diehl is developing a new Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) platform to address these challenges. This platform aims to host all avionics applications—from flight control to sensor fusion—on a unified, cyber-secure hardware system.

Unlike existing architectures where separate systems manage individual functions, the NGWS will use a single platform that securely separates safety- and mission-critical domains. This marks a significant shift in how information is managed and processed during complex air operations.

In support of seamless connectivity between manned and unmanned systems, Diehl is contributing to the European EICACS programme with its expertise in distributed computing. This work supports the development of a secure and robust Air Combat Cloud, ensuring latency-free communications even in highly contested environments.

“The pace and complexity of future air combat call for a new digital backbone,” Maier added. “We are developing that backbone through IMA – scalable, modular, and mission-ready.”

Diehl Aerospace also serves as co-coordinator of Germany’s national IMA technology initiative, helping to define architecture and standards for the NGWS. This role underlines the company’s leadership in shaping the digital infrastructure of future European defence systems.

The company is also advancing cockpit technologies, building on decades of experience in graphical computing and dynamic flight path rendering. Its innovations are laying the groundwork for next-generation 3D cockpit displays, integrated with AI support to handle complex mission data.

These new displays, developed within the EU-funded EPIIC project, will provide pilots with real-time visualisation of terrain and threats in four dimensions. The result will be enhanced situational awareness and decision-making in rapidly evolving mission environments.