On 14 December 2023, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan signed in Tokyo the convention establishing the international organisation behind the Global Combat Air Programme, known as GCAP. The project aims to develop a next-generation combat-air system with a stated target of 2035.
GCAP combines earlier national programmes and brings together three countries with advanced aerospace industries. The convention turned political and industrial cooperation into a dedicated governance structure, needed for a project expected to span decades of research, development, production and upgrades.
It is more than a new fighter
Calling GCAP simply a “future fighter” understates the programme. Modern combat aircraft operate inside networks of sensors, communications, electronic warfare and autonomous systems. Operational value increasingly depends on collecting, processing and sharing data.
A next-generation programme therefore involves software architecture, radar, sensors, propulsion, advanced materials, thermal management, secure communications and integration with other assets. In the future, the crewed aircraft may work alongside uncrewed systems with tasks distributed across multiple platforms.
The 2035 deadline
The timeline is ambitious. Large military-aircraft programmes traditionally require long cycles for design, testing, certification and production. Reaching 2035 demands faster and more digitally enabled development.
Simulation, digital twins, collaborative engineering and virtual testing can shorten parts of the cycle. But aerospace hardware remains subject to demanding reliability and performance requirements. Faster development cannot eliminate physical testing and validation.
The industrial cooperation challenge
International programmes of this scale must allocate work, responsibility and intellectual property among different countries and companies. This is an industrial challenge as much as a technical one. Each partner wants to retain strategic skills, economic returns and sovereign capability, while the programme also needs to avoid duplication that raises cost and delays.
GCAP’s governance structure is intended to provide a common level for decisions, requirements and coordination. Its effectiveness will matter when inevitable differences emerge over specifications, exports, suppliers and national priorities.
Software and continuous upgrades
A system entering service in the next decade must remain relevant long afterwards. That makes an open, upgradeable architecture essential. Sensors and software evolve faster than airframes, so the platform will need to accept new capabilities without complete redesign.
Cybersecurity is part of the same challenge. A highly connected aircraft must protect data, communications and software-development chains from compromise. Digital security therefore becomes part of weapon-system security.
Impact on national supply chains
For Italy, the UK and Japan, the programme can sustain high-value capabilities in aerospace engineering, electronics, propulsion, materials, software and mission systems. Such capabilities often have spillovers into other advanced industrial sectors.
At the same time, the programme’s long life makes supply-chain resilience critical. Dependence on single suppliers or hard-to-replace components can create long-term vulnerabilities in a system expected to remain in service for decades.
2035 as an industrial test
GCAP’s success will not be measured only by a first flight or service entry. It will need to demonstrate that different industries and engineering cultures can be integrated, costs controlled and upgrades delivered over time.
For Europe, Japan and the wider aerospace sector, the project is a laboratory for developing complex systems in an age when software moves faster than hardware. The 2035 challenge is therefore organisational and technological as much as aeronautical.
