UK-led fighter programme still open to funding partners

LONDON — The prospect of another nation joining the trilateral Global Combat Air Program remains on the table, but an expansion would require additional work on an already demanding schedule, officials involved in the sixth-generation fighter effort said.

Representatives of leading Italian, British and Japanese GCAP companies presented a new concept model of their aircraft project at the Farnborough Airshow, which featured a large wingspan for increased aerodynamics.

Executives noted that the latest version of the concept development was a representation of the power of the three-way cooperation between BAE Systems, Leonardo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

“In the work we have done so far with our colleagues in Japan and Italy, we see that our operational requirements align very well, that there is a common approach to future threats and that our collaboration is also very complementary,” Herman Claesen, general manager of future air combat systems at BAE Systems, told reporters.

The possibility of extending the program to another country has been mooted for some time now, with the idea of ​​Saudi Arabia possibly being brought into the program tickling the imagination of world aviation commentators. Officially, there is no prospect of such a move.

“What we can say is that we are developing a structure that is capable and open to other partners – partners are absolutely important because the export market is relevant to the business case (of the programme),” said Guglielmo Maviglia, head of Leonardo’s global air combat programme.

The GCAP program follows a “very demanding schedule,” Claesen said, referring to a planned commissioning date of 2035.

Asked whether the introduction of a new country could cause delays in meeting the strict timetable, Maviglia said it was unlikely and would “require additional effort.”

“What I can assure you is that if such a decision were made, it would not interrupt our ongoing activities – we have a clear picture of the program and the achievement of our objectives,” he told Defense News.