The Chief Executive of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) Agency, Masami Oka, and Marco Zott, Chief Executive of Edgewing, confirmed the programme’s status at Farnborough and outlined the next steps in its development.
The GCAP Agency was established by the defence ministries of the three partner nations to manage, coordinate, and oversee all phases of the programme on behalf of the UK, Italian, and Japanese governments. Edgewing is a joint venture owned by BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. The UK-based company is responsible for designing and developing the GCAP and will serve as the design authority throughout the product’s lifecycle.
In April 2026, the GCAP Agency awarded the initial £686 million contract to Edgewing, marking the transition from three separate national contracts to a single GCAP Agency contract. Earlier this month, a second contract was signed for £4.6 billion to support completing the advanced concept and assessment phase of the programme by 2028. At the same time, the UK Defence Investment Plan (DIP) announced that the UK will invest £8.6 billion in the programme with Japan and Italy to develop the 6th generation combat aircraft. It also stated that it will sign the next international contract soon and continue substantial investment in R&D, design, and capabilities for GCAP, although this remains to be confirmed by the new UK government.
When asked about any doubts regarding the UK’s commitment to GCAP, Massami Oka told ARMADA International that there was never any doubt about the DIP. He also mentioned that additional partners for GCAP could be agreed upon if the three governments reached an agreement. He added that there was significant interest in the programme being shown at Farnborough. At the same time, Canada announced it had reached an agreement to join the GCAP programme as an observer, which involves no financial or policy commitments but will facilitate classified discussions on Canada’s potential role. Marco Zott said that the challenge for new partners would lie in technology and delivery. He further noted that one of the lessons from the failure of the Franco-German FCAS programme was that an equal balance between the three nations must be maintained, and planning for the programme’s ongoing evolution should avoid overlaps. However, the final assembly lines are yet to be decided.
by David Oliver
