A second joint international contract has been awarded for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the trinational fighter aircraft development programme between Italy, Japan and the UK.

The £4.6 billion, 18-month contract has been placed by the GCAP Agency, which manages the programme on behalf of the three governments, with Edgewing, the trinational prime contractor and design authority for the GCAP aircraft. It covers completion of the advanced concept and assessment phase and further joint detailed design and development work. The agreement follows an initial £686 million contract placed with Edgewing in April 2026.

Masami Oka, GCAP Agency Chief Executive, says: “With this long-term funding, the future of GCAP has never been more assured. I am excited about what we will achieve over the next 18 months and the opportunities we can create to grow the programme further.”

Wider delivery is supported by tri-national industrial collaborations bringing together Italian, Japanese and UK companies. These include the GCAP Electronics Evolution (G2E) consortium, developing the aircraft's sensing and communications system, and a power and propulsion consortium working to extend its range and persistence.

GCAP was launched in 2022 to develop a next-generation stealth fighter for the three partner nations. The aircraft is expected to be delivered by 2035.