UK, Italy and Japan sign £4.6 billion contract for sixth-generation fighter jet programme

On July 3, 2026, the UK, Italy, and Japan signed a £4.6 billion contract with joint venture Edgewing to advance the design of a sixth-generation fighter jet under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), targeted for service by 2035. The UK also confirmed an £8.6 billion DIP commitment over four years. The programme supports 4,500 UK jobs and a supply chain of 600 organisations.

GCAP £4.6bn contract signing

• ▪The UK, Italy, and Japan signed a £4.6 billion contract on July 3, 2026, to develop a next-generation combat aircraft
• ▪The £4.6 billion contract was awarded through the GCAP Agency to the industry joint venture Edgewing to advance the aircraft's design and testing

Sixth-generation fighter jet capabilities

• ▪The Global Combat Air Programme fighter jet is targeted to enter service in 2035
• ▪The Global Combat Air Programme fighter jet will use complex digital engineering, AI, and ground-breaking technologies to operate alongside Typhoons, F-35s, and autonomous systems

UK Defence Investment Plan commitment

• ▪The UK Defence Investment Plan committed over £1.1 billion to upgrade the Typhoon force, £2.2 billion for new F-35s, and £300 million for a new autonomous combat aircraft
• ▪The UK Defence Investment Plan confirmed that the UK will invest £8.6 billion in the Global Combat Air Programme over four years

UK manufacturing jobs impact

• ▪The Global Combat Air Programme supports thousands of highly skilled manufacturing jobs across the UK and strengthens the UK's sovereign industrial base
• ▪The UK's future combat air system currently supports 4,500 jobs across the country

Industrial supply chain network

• ▪The UK's future combat air system is supported by a supply chain of approximately 600 organisations
• ▪The Global Combat Air Programme brings together industrial strengths across digital engineering, advanced propulsion, sensors, and data systems

Trilateral defence partnership

• ▪The £4.6 billion contract is funded jointly by the UK, Italy, and Japan to strengthen partnerships with international allies
• ▪The Global Combat Air Programme is a trilateral collaboration between the UK, Japan, and Italy