The United Kingdom is preparing to allocate around £6 billion (approximately €7 billion) to support the Global Combat Air Programme (Gcap), a joint project with Italy and Japan to develop the sixth-generation combat system with entry into service expected in 2035.
This was revealed by the Financial Times, citing three sources familiar with the situation.
The funding would allow the three partners to sign a multi-year contract with the industry covering design and development, after months of delays and diplomatic pressure from Tokyo. The Financial Times had also revealed last March that Japanese authorities are increasingly doubtful about London’s commitment to the project.
The Gcap program started with the agreement signed between the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan in December 2023, which provided for the creation of a governmental organization (Gigo) and an industrial alliance with a JV among the lead companies (Leonardo for Italy, Bae Systems for the United Kingdom, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Japan), established in December 2024, operational since last June under the name Edgewing.
In the framework of developing the new sixth-generation fighter, there has been a delay in signing the contract between the three governments involved in the program and the industries involved. Edgewing was supposed to obtain the first design contract by the end of 2025. However, the signing was postponed due to the delay in publishing the British Defence Investment Plan, which should have included the necessary funding for the program. The first contract, worth £686 million, was instead awarded last month.
All the details.
LONDON’S PLAN TO FINANCE GCAP
According to three sources familiar with the dossier, the funding planned by the United Kingdom would amount to about £6 billion and would allow the three partner countries to sign a long-term contract within the Gcap framework, intended to cover the aircraft’s design and development activities.
According to the British financial daily, the current short-term funding agreement, announced in March, will expire at the end of next month. According to two sources, the new package should be announced as part of a broader defense agreement, although it is still awaiting approval from the British Treasury.
JAPANESE PRESSURE
In recent weeks, Japan has intensified its warnings about the future of the program, fearing that Gcap could get stuck amid London’s political maneuvers regarding increased military spending.
The issue was reportedly also addressed during the recent visit to Tokyo by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. According to Japanese officials, Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi clearly expressed the need for London to sign a full and long-term contract without further delays, avoiding new temporary agreements, the FT reports.
The same official also stated that Japan fears the planned visit to the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi next month could be canceled due to the political uncertainties surrounding Keir Starmer’s leadership.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROGRAM, NOT ONLY INDUSTRIALLY
The planned funding will allow the lead companies of the Gcap program – the Italian Leonardo, the British Bae Systems, and the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – to proceed with the decisive phases of design and development.
Over 4,000 employees in the United Kingdom are already engaged in activities related to the project, including the construction of a demonstrator aircraft intended to test various technologies that will be incorporated into the future fighter, the Financial Times recalls.
According to British and Japanese officials, a potential failure of the program would have consequences beyond the industrial project, with possible repercussions on bilateral relations between London and Tokyo and on the strategic positioning of the two countries in the Asia-Pacific area.
The British Ministry of Defence has stated that the United Kingdom remains “committed” to the program. “Our goal is to continue working closely with Italy and Japan on the next steps towards signing the full international contract,” the ministry added.
MEANWHILE, ROME ACCELERATES
Meanwhile, our country has stepped on the accelerator in the Gcap program. Earlier this year, Italy estimated that its share of the design and development phase would cost €18.6 billion, triple the previous forecast, with the government approving a budget that includes a funding tranche of €8.8 billion for the program.
Recently, the president of the Defence Committee of the Chamber, Nino Minardo, also intervened on the program, meeting at Palazzo Montecitorio with the Japanese Ambassador to Italy, Hikariko Ono, at the end of April.
According to a statement, the discussion focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation between Italy and Japan, within the framework of celebrations for the 160 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and in an international context requiring increasing integration among strategic partners.
Particular attention was given to Gcap. “We share and appreciate Japan’s determination and commitment to advancing the program,” Minardo said, “along with the need to promptly address any critical issues, strengthening coordination among partners and ensuring full consistency in industrial choices and decision-making processes. Gcap represents a strategic priority and a pillar of cooperation between Europe and the Indo-Pacific, requiring continuity, vision, and shared responsibility.”
