France plans to launch the second demonstration phase of its New Generation Fighter in 2027, with full development of the operational aircraft due to begin in 2029. The schedule, tied to the draft 2027 defence budget, keeps the programme moving after the collapse of the joint Franco-German NGF project and preserves the target of an early-2040s capability.
The timeline places the prototype’s first flight in the 2027 phase, following the initial demonstration work launched in December 2022 under the NGWS contract within the FCAS programme. Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin told the National Assembly defence committee on 8 October that France decided in July to launch national work on the NGF’s critical path to protect the original schedule.
The disclosure appears in the annual performance plan for Programme 146, Equipment of the Forces, which links the fighter work to the Ministry of the Armed Forces’ 2027 spending plans. It points to a national French effort continuing the aircraft’s development after the split with Germany and Spain on the wider programme in June 2026.