An artist's impression of the UK-Japanese-Italian Global Combat Air Programme fighter jet (BAE Systems)
FARNBOROUGH — Today Canada officially joined the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) as its first “observer,” granting it “privileged access” to capability development, industrial cooperation, and long-term delivery plans, British Chief of Defense Wes Streeting said.
Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty, who spoke alongside Streeting as well as the defense leaders from other GCAP participating nations Italy and Japan said the new status “will provide us with the opportunity to deepen our understanding of next-generation combat air capability, strengthen industrial collaboration, and contribute more closely to partnerships that will define the future of airpower.”
GCAP is the sole remaining active international next-generation fighter jet program, envisioning a stealthy sixth-gen fighter as well as a host of interlinked systems, including drone wingmen. A rival sixth-gen program, the French-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System, collapsed last month amid industry disagreements. The US Air Force is unilaterally pursuing its own F-47 next-gen fighter.
Japanese defense chief Shinjiro Koizumi said Canada’s new involvement in GCAP was “monumental,” adding that the security landscape of the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic region is no longer separable.
