Edgewing has secured a £4.6 billion contract to deliver the next phase of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the trilateral initiative between Italy, Japan and the UK to develop a next-generation fighter aircraft.
Awarded by the GCAP Agency, which manages the programme on behalf of the three governments, the 18-month contract will complete the advanced concept and assessment phase while progressing joint detailed design and development. It is the second international contract awarded to Edgewing, the trinational prime contractor and design authority for the GCAP aircraft, following a £686 million agreement signed in April 2026.
The award marks another major milestone for GCAP, maintaining the programme’s momentum and reinforcing its role as a flagship model for international defence collaboration. Jointly funded by the three partner nations, the investment will support the next phase of design and engineering activity while demonstrating the long-term commitment of Italy, Japan and the UK to the programme.
GCAP Agency Chief Executive Masami Oka said the contract would enable the agency and Edgewing to accelerate delivery, strengthen global security, share costs and technological expertise, and create highly skilled jobs across all three nations.
One year after its formation, Edgewing continues to bring together expertise from across Italy, Japan and the UK as the programme’s trinational prime contractor and design authority. Chief Executive Marco Zoff said the latest award reflected the confidence placed in Edgewing by the partner nations and the GCAP Agency, building on the progress achieved under the first international contract. He added that the programme’s collaborative delivery model – bringing together three national industries under a single engineering prime – was helping to accelerate development.
GCAP is also supported by wider trilateral industrial partnerships, including the GCAP Electronics Evolution (G2E) consortium, which is developing the aircraft’s advanced sensing and communications system, and the power and propulsion consortium responsible for its next-generation propulsion system.
Launched in 2022, GCAP aims to deliver a sixth-generation stealth fighter by 2035. The programme is expected to strengthen industrial capability, advance design and manufacturing expertise, create high-value jobs and intellectual property, and provide the partner nations with the capabilities needed to meet future security challenges.
