The programme to deliver Britain’s next-generation fighter jet has been awarded a £4.6 billion contract, the second joint international contract placed under the Global Combat Air Programme between the UK, Italy and Japan, the GCAP Agency and Edgewing have announced.
The 18-month contract, awarded by the GCAP Agency, which manages the programme on behalf of the three governments, to Edgewing, the trinational prime contractor and design authority for the aircraft, will enable completion of the advanced concept and assessment phase and further joint detailed design and development. It runs from 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2027 and is jointly funded by the three nations, following an initial £686 million contract placed in April 2026.
GCAP, launched in 2022, aims to deliver a next-generation stealth fighter by 2035, replacing the Typhoon in RAF service and Japan’s F-2 fleet. Edgewing, the joint venture established a year ago by BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co, is headquartered in the UK and ramping up to operate in all three nations, and will remain the design authority throughout the life of the aircraft. Wider delivery is supported by trinational industrial consortia, including the GCAP Electronics Evolution grouping developing the aircraft’s sensing and communications system and the power and propulsion consortium working on the engine intended to give the jet extended range and persistence.
Masami Oka, GCAP Agency Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to sign this international contract on behalf of the three GCAP nations. It will enable the GCAP Agency and Edgewing to continue making huge progress in all areas of delivery. The programme is vital for global security and defeating future threats, while sharing costs, technological advantages and creating highly skilled jobs in all three nations. With this long-term funding, the future of GCAP has never been more assured.”
Marco Zoff, Edgewing Chief Executive Officer, said the contract “represents the trust placed in us by all three nations and our GCAP Agency partners, trust fostered by the rapid progress made under the first international contract.” He added: “This momentum is being driven by our disruptive new model of defence collaboration: the first time that three countries have come together to create a single engineering prime, working on behalf of our national industries, with a single empowered customer.”
The award follows confirmation in this week’s Defence Investment Plan of £8.6 billion in UK funding for GCAP over the next four years, which a senior defence official said would carry the project through its concept and into its design phases alongside Japan and Italy. The programme is overseen by the GCAP International Government Organisation, established in 2024, whose steering committee directs the GCAP Agency from its headquarters in Reading.
It’s a vast amount of money but other than nuclear weapons Tempest is probably the most important capability Britain can provide the west right now, with the collapse of FCAS we are on the verge of being in a world where the US is the only western country that can make aircraft and they will be limited to one option from Boeing and one from LM.
Hopefully we can bring others in like German and Canada to share to cost.
Bringing new customers along would be a fantastic expansion of GCAP. Germany must be looking closely after the collapse of FCAS and the ongoing drama with the US and the F35. With the exception of Dreadnought and SSN AUSKUS Tempest is the most exciting thing to come out of the DIP.
Germany are certainly reviewing their options. They already have 35 F-35As on order to replace the Tornado in the nuclear sharing role, and there has been talk about expanding that fleet by around 15 aircraft. Following the collapse of FCAS, there are a few clear paths they can take to replace the Typhoon. They could go for more F-35s in the near term to boost capability, join GCAP, back Airbus’ ‘Team Gen 6’ effort for a German led design, or end up blending these options.
Jim, You need to be more consistent. 🫡
Some of us remember your previous comments 😊
Let’s just make It with the Partners we have and sell loads to the rest.
Exactly Halfwit. I believe the three partners have the strength to complete the task as Leonardo is becoming a prime military force supplier across the World and together with the UK’s experience with Typhoon and Japan’s honourable signatory, it will prove to be a winner. Of course, the US will try every trick in the book to make Tempest trip and fall, but unlike TSR2 the US aircraft industry ain’t what it was. I believe that as we get to the demonstration stages a F35 moment will happen in the industry, and the dividends will begin.
The Germans? And find restrictions placed by them on who Edgewing can sell it to? By all means Canada, Australia and New Zealand. But if Germany, and Spain come on board, they must be purchasers, not dictators of whom it can be sold to (Typhoon to Turkey etc).
Unless there is another Jim on this site this is a direct quote of a comment you posted on the last article about GCAP. Normally I like your comments as they are generally factual and not extreme like most comments on this site but this is feeling a bit sus.
“I don’t think many people will be buying £200 million regional bombers from us.
It’s got as much export potential as TSR2.
Anyone who will buy it will want work share.
We are paying £16 billion+ in development for a third share on an aircraft we don’t really need”
🤣 wait until David Lloyd sees this!