Italy Courts Germany and Saudi Arabia to Join GCAP Fighter Program

This article summarizes reporting by Reuters by Angelo Amante.

Italy is actively courting new international partners, including Germany and Saudi Arabia, to join the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) in an effort to distribute the sixth-generation fighter’s escalating development costs. The overture follows the recent collapse of a rival European fighter project, positioning the trilateral alliance of the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan to potentially absorb displaced industrial partners.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced the expansion strategy in Rome on June 23, 2026. According to Reuters, Crosetto emphasized that broadening the coalition would increase the program’s viability by sharing the massive financial burden required to field the advanced aircraft by its 2035 target date.

Expanding the international coalition

The GCAP initiative formally launched in December 2022 to develop a next-generation combat aircraft. While the core partnership remains between the UK Ministry of Defence, the Italian Ministry of Defence, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Italian leadership is now publicly identifying specific nations for potential inclusion.

Crosetto noted that Canada has expressed interest in joining the program as an observer, an arrangement Italy fully supports. Beyond observer status, the defense minister explicitly named Germany and Saudi Arabia as candidates for deeper involvement. He stated that adding these nations would improve the chances of successfully delivering the aircraft while driving down overall costs.

The invitation to Germany is particularly notable given the shifting landscape of European defense procurement. Earlier in June 2026, Germany and France abandoned the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) due to unresolvable industrial disputes between Airbus and Dassault Aviation. The dissolution of FCAS leaves Germany without a domestic sixth-generation fighter program, making GCAP a logical alternative. Leonardo S.p.A. Chief Executive Officer Lorenzo Mariani previously signaled support for this pivot on June 9, 2026, noting that Germany would bring valuable industrial expertise to the joint venture.

Financial pressures and upcoming milestones

Italy’s push for new partners aligns with a sharp increase in its domestic financial commitments to the project. In January 2026, the Italian Ministry of Defence informed its parliament that the estimated cost for the first two phases of GCAP had tripled. The projected expense rose from an initial estimate of €6 billion to €18.6 billion ($21.8 billion) as technology maturation and development requirements became clearer, according to Defense News.

Despite the rising costs, the core partners are advancing toward binding agreements. Breaking Defense reported that the UK is expected to sign a new international contract for the next phase of GCAP by the end of June 2026. This pending agreement, valued at £686 million ($905 million) for design and development work, follows mid-June meetings between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aimed at accelerating the program’s timeline.

AirPro News analysis

We view the potential integration of Germany into GCAP as a major realignment of the European aerospace sector. If Berlin formally pivots to the UK-Italy-Japan consortium, it would consolidate European sixth-generation fighter development under a single umbrella. However, integrating a partner of Germany’s industrial weight will require complex renegotiations of workshare. The current industrial arrangement is carefully balanced among BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Adding German contractors to the Edgewing joint venture would dilute the existing partners’ shares, potentially complicating the rapid development schedule required to meet the 2035 in-service target.

Sources: Reuters