The future fighter, dubbed the Global Combat Air Program, will replace the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Japanese fleet of F-2 fighters.
While the U.S. Air Force continues to make steady progress with its Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, other countries’ near-peer sixth-generation endeavors are also making headway. The United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan are racing to field their NGAD counterpart, dubbed the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP). This collaborative fighter program was initially conceptualized back in 2022. However, Pakistan’s reported successful deployment of Chinese-made fighters in its recent skirmish with India has ramped up the more imminent need for GCAP’s arrival. According to the South China Morning Post, the turbocharged effort to produce GCAP indicates growing concern over Beijing’s aerial prowess. Although the exact impetus driving the sudden surge in GCAP is unknown, progress surrounding Beijing and Washington’s concurrent sixth-gen programs is most likely a factor.
Progress on the GCAP
“We expect to receive our first international contract this year against relatively stable, high level requirements, which is what’s required to disaggregate the work allocation,” Andrew Howard, director for Future Combat Air at Leonardo UK, said about GCAP. As detailed by Breaking Defense, four firms are expected to deliver the sixth-generation fighter’s Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects & Integrated Communications Systems package in the near future. ELT Group, Italy-based Leonardo Electronics, the U.K.-based Leonardo, and Japan-based Mitsubishi Electric will develop the platform’s networking tools, including sub-systems like the Multi-Function Radio Frequency System. While specific costs surrounding the program remain unconfirmed, the U.K. has already committed more than 14 billion pounds to fielding this sixth-gen platform. When GCAP is introduced to service down the line, it will replace the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Japanese fleet of F-2 fighters.
The governments of Japan, the U.K., and Italy jointly revealed the plan to field a common fighter jet with a treaty signed in late 2023. During the Cold War, the U.K. and Italy previously worked together on two other multinational aircraft programs. The Tornado and the Eurofighter were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. This is the first time that Japan is directly working with Italy and the U.K. on a military program with the guarantee of full operational and technological sovereignty. This component is significant, especially considering the recent “kill-switch” rumor surrounding the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The kill switch narrative suggests Washington can deactivate or limit the combat functions of Lightning II jets flown by the platform’s nine-nation codevelopment group. While this myth is not accurate, the United States does maintain a tight grip on the fifth-generation fighter’s advanced systems. Specifically, the United States can limit foreign nations’ capacity to test or modify the platform independently.
An Update on the NGAD
Over the last few months, more and more information surrounding the U.S. Air Force’s NGAD progress has been divulged to the public. While many of the exact specs and details surrounding the platform remain a mystery, the fighter’s combat radius was recently disclosed to be more than 1,000 nautical miles. Additionally, the jet will be able to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2, according to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force general David Allvin, the “family of systems” appears to be making steady gains in terms of design and development.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Soos Jozsef / Shutterstock.com
