Edgewing wins $6.1B contract to advance UK-Italy-Japan GCAP fighter program

Edgewing has secured a £4.6 billion ($6.1 billion) contract to advance development of the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), the next-generation fighter jet backed by Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

The UK-based joint venture, created by BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co., serves as the prime contractor and design authority for the GCAP aircraft.

Italy, Japan and the UK are jointly funding the 18-month award, Edgewing said. The company did not disclose each country’s individual contribution.

The GCAP Agency, which manages the program on behalf of the three governments, awarded the deal to support completion of the advanced concept and assessment phase and further joint detailed design and development work.

It marks the second joint international contract the GCAP Agency has awarded to Edgewing, following an initial £686 million contract placed in April 2026.

GCAP launched in 2022 to develop a next-generation stealth fighter for the three partner nations. The aircraft is expected to enter service in 2035 and is intended to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in UK and Italian service and the Mitsubishi F-2 in Japan.

It is a crewed, sixth-generation stealth fighter. While the final configuration remains in development, concept images and program descriptions point to a twin-engine aircraft with a single-seat cockpit, advanced sensors, data-networking capabilities and the ability to operate alongside uncrewed aircraft.

Masami Oka, Chief Executive of the GCAP Agency, said the contract would allow the agency and Edgewing to continue making progress across the program.

“The program is vital for global security and defeating future threats, while sharing costs, technological advantages and creating highly skilled jobs in all three nations,” Oka said. “With this long-term funding, the future of GCAP has never been more assured.”

Edgewing Chief Executive Officer Marco Zoff said the contract reflects the trust placed in the company by the three partner nations and the GCAP Agency.

“This momentum is being driven by our disruptive new model of defense 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,” Zoff said.

The wider GCAP industrial effort includes the GCAP Electronics Evolution consortium, known as G2E, which is developing the aircraft’s advanced sensing and communications system. A separate power and propulsion consortium is working on the fighter’s engine and power-generation systems, including technologies intended to provide extended range and persistence.

Edgewing said the program will support teams across all three countries, strengthening industrial capability, advancing design and manufacturing, and generating high-value jobs, intellectual property and economic growth.The post Edgewing wins $6.1B contract to advance UK-Italy-Japan GCAP fighter program appeared first on AeroTime.

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