Countdown to GCAP: The Race for New Alliances

Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani emphasized 2026 as the deadline for new countries to join the British, Italian, and Japanese GCAP fighter jet programme. Germany and Saudi Arabia are potential partners, with Canada joining as an observer. The programme targets a 2035 timeline, potentially sooner, for flight readiness.

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) could soon see new partners joining its ranks, as noted by Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani.

If any more countries wish to participate in the joint British, Italian, and Japanese fighter jet initiative, they must act by the end of 2026, Mariani stated at the Farnborough Airshow.

Germany and Saudi Arabia are considered strong contenders, while Canada recently joined as an observer in the strategic consortium aiming for a target to be flight-ready by 2035.