Chiba, Japan. 14 March 2023. In December 2022, the Governments of the United Kingdom (UK), Japan and Italy announced that the three nations will collaborate on the design, development and production of a next generation fighter aircraft under a new Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
The programme will build on the substantial progress already made in the UK under the Team Tempest partnership. Made up of BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK, Rolls-Royce and the UK Ministry of Defence, the Team Tempest partnership has been researching, evaluating and developing a host of next generation future combat air system capabilities since 2018.
IHI Corporation, Mitsubishi Electrics and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, and Avio Aero, Elettronica and Leonardo in Italy are all part of the joint development, working together with the UK partners to deliver GCAP.
It is expected that GCAP will create long-term technological, industrial and social benefits in all three nations and inspire the next generation of engineering talent.