Espadon: The French Hypersonic Fighter Jet Will Be Airborne In 2050

Although at this time it sounds like a vehicle in a science fiction film, in reality, the development of a fighter jet with hypersonic speed has started.

At the Paris Air Show in 2023.

The French state-backed Defense Research Agency Onera, similar to the Pentagon's DARPA in the United States, has been preparing for hypersonic fighter jet flights in 2050.

Quoted by breakingdefense.com (19/6/2023), the hypersonic fighter jet concept is nicknamed the Espadon, which can be translated as Swordfish.

The Espadon project was funded internally by Onera with an early-stage budget of just over €5 million ($5.4 million).

The initial stages of research and development for the Espadon focused on the knowledge and competence of hypersonic aircraft, as well as deciding what "building blocks" were needed to develop a prototype.

This was explained by René Mathurin, director of defense studies at Onera.

Current research focuses on payload, weapons systems, propulsion, and aerodynamics.

"This new concept will, in the end, be left to the French industry to prepare for the future," said Mathurin at the Paris Air Show.

He added that Espadon is prepared to be able to fly in 2050.

Currently, the scale model of the Espandon has undergone wind tunnel testing, but the ultimate goal is to develop an aircraft capable of flying beyond Mach 5, the generally accepted definition of hypersonic.

However, plans could change depending on the priorities of the French Defense Ministry, according to Mathurin.

"If they want to learn something, it can happen very quickly, or maybe development takes only 10 years," he said.

Although Espadon has not been funded at a procurement level by the French Ministry of Defense, expertise from the project continues to be shared with those involved in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program designed around Next Generation Fighters, Remote Carriers, and the Air Combat Cloud.

Separately, the agency is currently part of the ASN4G effort, which aims to deliver a future missile for components of France's nuclear deterrent and is set to replace the Intermediate-Range Air-to-Surface Missile [ASMP] by 2035.