Introduction
The European Union has approved the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a new fighter aircraft development program involving the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy.
European Commission Statement
The European Commission declared that the GCAP complies with European competition rules and does not threaten the internal market, stating that the partnership between the three countries will stimulate innovation and cooperation without creating a monopoly in European defense.
GCAP Details
The program combines the United Kingdom’s Tempest projects and Japan’s FX with the aim of replacing the British and Italian Eurofighter and the Japanese F-2 by 2035.
In December 2024, a consortium consisting of the three countries was established to manage the program, headquartered in London and with an Italian general manager who will start operations in mid-2025.
Each country, through its industrial consortium, will have a third of the design and construction of the GCAP, closely cooperating with the London-based GCAP International Government Organization (GIGO).
The trinational consortium will be responsible for the design, development, production, and delivery of the aircraft, currently involving 1,000 companies/suppliers, with 600 in the United Kingdom and 400 in Italy and Japan.
The GCAP will integrate innovative technologies such as direct energy weapons, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, and will be accompanied by a UCAV or “Loyal Wingman” that will be a systems and weapons platform operating individually or in swarms under the direct control of the GCAP or autonomously thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms.
