Britain, Italy, and Japan have awarded a £4.6 billion contract to Edgewing, a joint venture of BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement, to advance the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP).

This milestone secures the next phase of development for a sixth‑generation stealth fighter, targeted for service entry in 2035, and strengthens trilateral defence cooperation while opening the door to potential new partners.

The UK government confirmed the contract on Friday, marking a decisive step forward after nine months of delays caused by budgetary constraints. Britain has now committed £8.6 billion over four years to GCAP under its Defence Investment Plan, ensuring its share of funding for the tri‑nation project.

Defence readiness minister Luke Pollard described the contract as a major step towards delivery, emphasising that the program will provide pilots with a cutting‑edge stealth fighter.

The contract award follows the collapse of the rival Franco‑German fighter program in June, which has left European defence alliances unsettled. This development increases the likelihood that other nations may seek to join GCAP, which is also known as Tempest in the UK.

The Italian defence minister has already suggested that opening the program to additional partners would help share costs, while Leonardo has indicated Germany could be a particularly valid partner given its aerospace expertise. Saudi Arabia and Canada have also expressed interest in GCAP, though any expansion would require agreement among the three founding members.

Edgewing, the joint venture responsible for GCAP, is headquartered in Britain and led by an Italian chief executive. The consortium unites BAE Systems in the UK, Leonardo in Italy, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.

Edgewing has been tasked with driving the next phase of design and engineering, building on an earlier £686 million contract awarded in April 2026. The new contract will enable completion of the advanced concept and assessment phase, as well as detailed joint design and development.

GCAP represents one of the most ambitious defence collaborations in modern history. The aircraft is expected to be three to four metres longer than the Eurofighter Typhoon, with extended range and advanced stealth features.

It will integrate next‑generation propulsion, sensor fusion, and artificial intelligence, while operating alongside autonomous drones and existing fleets such as the Typhoon and F‑35. The program is designed to share tens of billions of dollars in costs among the partners, while also securing export orders to international markets.

The UK’s Defence Investment Plan underpins this effort, with £8.6 billion allocated to GCAP over four years. The plan also included a £15 billion increase in overall defence spending, though questions remain about how nearly a third of that funding will be sourced.

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer has highlighted GCAP’s importance to UK‑Japan relations, noting during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that the initiative lies at the heart of bilateral ties. Japan, anxious to meet the 2035 delivery target, had previously expressed frustration at UK delays in funding, underscoring the urgency of the program.

The signing of the contract comes just ahead of the Farnborough Air Show, where GCAP is expected to feature prominently.

The program is projected to support thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK, Italy, and Japan, reinforcing industrial bases while delivering a flagship example of multinational defence collaboration. 

Executives have stressed that opportunities may exist for future partners to join at varying levels of involvement, ensuring flexibility in expansion.

With the collapse of FCAS, GCAP now stands as Europe’s leading sixth‑generation fighter initiative. Its success will hinge not only on technological breakthroughs but also on sustained political commitment and effective cost‑sharing among partners. The program’s long‑term vision is to deliver a stealth fighter capable of defeating future threats, while embedding industrial cooperation across continents.

Agencies