UK unveils new next generation fighter jet, the 'Tempest'

[ORAC]

The other temptation will be to offload everything - make the aircraft mediocre in the intelligence stakes and trust to being able to shunt information for processing elsewhere

They've already said the Tempest will be a processor/AI heavy machine able to operate independently from ground links and control multiple assets - so it’s option A not B…

[ORAC]

Bill Sweetman: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/meet-the-neovark/

Meet the NeoVark

[Asturias56]

Very interesting -that puts it into perspective. That's a lot of metal

And 1000 nm of penetration is quite an ask - based from C Poland that means you can strike as far as Tunis, Georgia, Murmansk, Kazan and just into Kazakhstan - that's almost strategic bomber country. Or from S Japan almost the whole of Eastern and NE China

The Uk couldn't afford the TSR-2 or the F-111. And that was during the cold war - I can't see how we'll be able to afford anything similar today.

[ORAC]

Japanese MOD:

”DM Koizumi attended the Trilateral Defense Ministerial VTC with UK SecDef Healey and Italian DM Crosetto to discuss GCAP on Nov 25th. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work closely together to finalize the necessary arrangements for concluding the GIGO-JV contract.”

https://www.mod.go.jp/en/article/202...d2caec992.html

Japan-UK-Italy Trilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting

[West Coast]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

Very interesting -that puts it into perspective. That's a lot of metal

And 1000 nm of penetration is quite an ask - based from C Poland that means you can strike as far as Tunis, Georgia, Murmansk, Kazan and just into Kazakhstan - that's almost strategic bomber country. Or from S Japan almost the whole of Eastern and NE China

The Uk couldn't afford the TSR-2 or the F-111. And that was during the cold war - I can't see how we'll be able to afford anything similar today.

How many pet projects will the MOD shelve if they really want this? A bunch.

[t43562]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

Very interesting -that puts it into perspective. That's a lot of metal

And 1000 nm of penetration is quite an ask - based from C Poland that means you can strike as far as Tunis, Georgia, Murmansk, Kazan and just into Kazakhstan - that's almost strategic bomber country. Or from S Japan almost the whole of Eastern and NE China

The Uk couldn't afford the TSR-2 or the F-111. And that was during the cold war - I can't see how we'll be able to afford anything similar today.

From the available lectures etc on TSR-2 that one can watch on youtube I got the impression that it was simply full of impossible requirements and could never have been afforded.

[ORAC]

https://x.com/GarethJennings3/status...513977689?s=20

Going through my DefenceIQ IFC2025 notes ahead of the anticipated launch of the GCAP full development and design phase, and a very interesting conops has the aircraft acting as "the perfect parasite".....

​​​​​​​https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...513977689.html

[ORAC]

Have they spoken to London or Tokyo?

As a customer, perhaps - but since production contracts are on the point of being signed and attempt to reopen negotiations on work share would delay the programme for perhaps a decade.

https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2025...-gcap-fighter/

As tensions with France grow, Italy plans to bring Germany into the development of the new sixth-generation GCAP fighter

Italy opened the door to the possible incorporation of Germany into the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the joint project that Rome is promoting together with the United Kingdom and Japan to develop a sixth-generation fighter by 2035. The initiative comes at a time marked by growing tensions between Berlin and Paris regarding the parallel European program, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

During a parliamentary hearing, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stated that several countries have shown interest in joining GCAP. “Germany could probably join this project in the future,” he said. He also noted that there are inquiries from Australia, Saudi Arabia and Canada.

GCAP is led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, BAE Systems in the United Kingdom and Leonardo in Italy. The plan involves developing a stealth fighter that will operate together with drones and collaborative combat systems. Crosetto emphasized that the three founding nations agreed on equal-level cooperation. “The more countries that join, the larger the critical mass we can invest in, the more intellectual capacity we can bring together, the greater the economic return and the less it will cost us,” the minister said......

While tensions within FCAS remain unresolved, Italy maintains that new additions to GCAP could improve the program’s industrial, technological and financial viability. Crosetto’s remarks suggest that Rome aims to position itself as an actor capable of attracting partners in a strategic segment for European and Indo-Pacific defence. If Germany reconsiders its role in FCAS, its potential approach to GCAP would shift the balance of power in both projects and in the future combat air architecture of the continent.

[Flap Track 6]

Originally Posted by ORAC

Have they spoken to London or Tokyo?

As a customer, perhaps - but since production contracts are on the point of being signed and attempt to reopen negotiations on work share would delay the programme for perhaps a decade.

Also, as we have seen with Typhoon, having the Germans as partners creates difficulties with export sales. The more approvals you need, the more difficult political unity becomes.

[ORAC]

https://www.politico.eu/article/cana...trump-turmoil/

Canada eyes an ‘ambitious’ new partnership with Britain amid Trump turmoil

LONDON — As the Trump administration turns its attention away from Europe, Britain and Canada will double down on their relationship in 2026 with an “ambitious” new strategic partnership, Ralph Goodale, Canada’s High Commissioner to London, has told POLITICO......

Carney and Starmer vowed to boost both nations’ defense spending and procurement this year. They want to position the Canada-U.K. defense relationship for growth, not just in military operations but also in “industrial collaboration” and defense innovation, according to their June outline for the future relationship.

As part of the package, Canada “is interested” in the sixth-generation fighter jet Global Combat Air Programme the U.K. is building with Italy and Japan to take flight by 2035, Goodale said. “Obviously, no decisions have been taken at this stage,” he added. “But this is something that we are actively engaged in examining in terms of Canada's future acquisitions.”

​Canada wants to explore how “we can not just participate, but contribute” to the GCAP project, Goodale said, adding it wouldn’t be a replacement for the U.S.-led fifth-generation F-35 but a “progression.”

“When we come to the table for major projects of this kind, playing in the international arena, you don't come empty-handed,” he said, pointing to Canada’s “amazing” technological ability.

​Canada has “really kept its successes hidden away” when it comes to AI, Goodale explains, and is keen to contribute in this area to the GCAP project while also working with the U.K. to break away from Chinese and U.S. dominance.......

[ORAC]

Realistic cost of development starting to emerge at last. When can we expect the MOD to release their equivalent costings?

https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...ng-21-billion/

Italy faces GCAP warplane price tag topping $21 billion

ROME — Italy’s outlay on the design and development of the tri-nation GCAP fighter has tripled from €6 billion to €18.6 billion — or from $7 billion to $21.8 billion — in the last five years, the country’s defense minister has told parliament.

The announcement of the price hike came in a request to parliament to authorize the pay-out which prompted criticism from Italy’s opposition Five Star party. “This is the most expensive program in the history of the Italian military, overtaking the F-35 where €18 billion was spent on 90 aircraft,” Five Star parliamentarians said in a statement.

Italy is a member alongside the U.K. and Japan of the sixth generation GCAP fighter team which aims to put a new jet into service by 2035.

The document with the new pricing of Italy’s share in the program was sent this month to the defense commission of the Italian senate, where it is due to be discussed on Tuesday before a vote to approve the text is taken, likely next week.

The document will also be voted on by the defense commission of the lower house of parliament. It will likely be approved in the commissions due to the majority enjoyed in both by Meloni’s coalition government.

The document is an update on a previous version submitted to parliament in 2021, which said Italy would pay out €6 billion to cover its share of Phase1 and 2 of the program - respectively ‘Concept Assessment and Preliminary Design’, followed by ‘Full Development’.

The new document states the outlay, “which was initially estimated to be €6 billion for program phases 1 and 2 has since been updated taking into account the increase in costs in technology maturation, testing and development and design, to an estimated €18.6 billion (at 2025 prices).”

The document, which has been seen by Defense News, reported that €2 billion in funding had already been secured, partially covering Phase 1. A further €16.6 billion was therefore needed to complete Phases 1 and 2, it added.

The document contains a request for approval for funding worth €8.8 billion to be dispensed in annual payments stretching out to 2037. The remaining €7.8 billion required to hit the €16.6 billion total would be arranged at a future date, the document added.

In its statement, the Five Star party wrote, “We don’t doubt the value of this program, but it is not acceptable that our parliamentary commissions are used as cash dispensers which issue billions like peanuts, without even supplying an in-depth and detailed explanation of this enormous increase in the expected expenditure.”

During a Jan. 16 meeting in Tokyo between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, the two leaders “expressed satisfaction for the progress of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP),” and confirmed “the importance of achieving the goal of delivering the first aircraft in 2035.”

[ORAC]

“Don’t call us, we’ll call you’. I am sure Leonardo appreciate the order to share their IP - especially their UK divisions……

https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...p-fighter-jet/

‘Madness’: Italy’s Crosetto slams British secrecy on GCAP fighter jet

ROME — Italy’s defense minister has claimed the U.K. is not doing enough to share its cutting-edge technology with its partners on the tri-nation GCAP fighter program and called the alleged British secrecy “madness.”

Guido Crosetto warned that as long at the U.K. refrained from sharing top tech with its Italian and Japanese partners on the sixth-generation jet program it risked benefiting adversaries around the world. “It’s a huge favor to the Russians and the Chinese,” the minister told Defense News.
Crosetto’s accusation was the second time he has singled out the U.K. for holding back on GCAP tech-sharing. In April 2025 he told Reuters the U.K. needed to bring down the “barriers of selfishness.”

He said at the time, “Italy has broken them down totally, Japan almost totally. It seems to me that the U.K. is much more reluctant to do this, and that’s a mistake because selfishness is the worst enemy of nations.”

Asked this week by Defense News if he had changed his mind about the U.K.’s alleged reluctance to share technology, he said nothing had changed. “They don’t want to do it,” Crosetto said, adding, “At a moment like this, not sharing technology with allies is madness.”

Crosetto said that he was trying to set an example in discussions with Leonardo, the Italian firm leading Italy’s contribution to the jet. “I have ordered Leonardo to share its technology, let’s see if the others follow. That way we take the first step,” he said.

The Italian minister’s comments come as progress on GCAP appeared to be smooth, particularly in comparison with the French-German-Spanish FCAS fighter program, which is bogged down in work share rows. In the U.K., a tri-nation GCAP government office is now working closely with industrial consortia handling sensors, propulsion and integration, with the aim of getting the plane delivered by 2035.

One other blip this month has been Italy’s announcement that the bill it is facing for designing and developing the jet has risen from a forecast €6 billion ($7.1 billion) in 2021 to €18.6 billion, triggering criticism from Italian opposition parties.

Nevertheless, in a meeting this month between Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Japanese prime minister Takaichi Sanae, the two leaders “expressed satisfaction for the progress of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).”

[golder]

Is someone after a headline?
Ask Boeing to share its IP with LM and see how far you get, This IP stuff would have been sorted in the MOU, Either it is joint ownership or it isn't

[safetypee]

There are many ways to protect national interests; best done privately.
e.g. Some overseas sales of the Lightning F6 lacked elements of the radar / missile computation - who knew.

The current issue appears to be in the difference between sales and partnership, where the latter is a two-way exchange based on trust and will take time to form in a difficult world 'political' environment.

[ORAC]

https://www.defensenews.com/global/a...ture-warplane/

Japan shrugs off GCAP delays, fast-tracks export rules for future warplane

MANILA, Philippines — Japan is working to accelerate the tri-nation GCAP fighter jet collaboration with the U.K. and Italy despite reported fiscal and contract delays, which experts say will unlikely push back target deployment in 2035.

The move comes as the ruling party advances efforts to relax stringent export restrictions on defense equipment and weaponry. The government has not disclosed yet how it plans to overcome fiscal bumps, but the National Diet, Japan’s legislature, is expected to approve allocations for the jets this month.

Parliament had earlier eased export restrictions on GCAP, which is short for Global Combat Air Programme, but an overhaul of the key defense transfer policy may completely lift limitations and allow future exports to countries at war.

The changes are also expected to clear the way for the 11 Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy, which Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is scheduled to finalize later this month.

In the next-generation warplane effort, there has been a delay in the contract between the three governments, represented by the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO), and the industry joint venture named Edgewing, which represents national contractors BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd., a firm owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies.

Edgewing was set to get its first design work contract by the end of 2025, but the contract has been held up by the delay of delivery of the British Defense Investment Plan, which was due to contain the necessary funding. That plan, in turn, was originally due last fall, but has been held up amid high-level efforts to contend with budget shortfalls in the U.K.

Shigeki Muto, a retired lieutenant general and former head of the Air Defense Command, told Defense News that delays in the contract signing between GIGO and Edgewing “indicate uncertainty in financial commitments in design and organizational setup,” which could impede major investments from Edgewing.

For now, the British delay seems manageable, perhaps impacting prototype manufacturing by a matter of months or a year, said Muto.
“At present, this situation should be interpreted as a funding adjustment phase rather than a structural crisis,” he added.

GCAP is Japan’s most expensive defense project and its first international co-production deal with European allies. Set to replace the defense forces’ F-2 fighters, compounding delays with the new aircraft could create gaps later on, according to retired Lt. Gen. Eiichirou Fukazawa, a former Northern Air Defense Force commander.

“Considering the increasing pressure from China’s military capabilities, delays in introducing new combat capabilities would impact negatively on Japan’s overall defense posture,” he said.

Reports indicate that costs have tripled, but it’s unclear if the Japanese government under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would augment this year’s budget for GCAP, earlier earmarked at 700 billion yen ($4.44 billion) for initial research and development from 2023 until 2027.

Experts say a front-load contribution can be justified while easing political backlash: Japan will likely become GCAP’s primary operator, and the tech transfer for fighter development will boost the domestic defense industry, which will advance global expansion goals.

Additionally, shouldering the initial fiscal burden creates an advantage because it allows “expanded access to technology, gives Japan stronger negotiating power, and achieves greater leadership influence, which would be beneficial for future defense exports,” Muto explained.

The government has largely been satisfied with the GCAP program, says Yoko Iwama, Professor at the Tokyo-based National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, a state think tank.

“This partnership with the Europeans is a new experiment and a sort of de-risking from the Americans — it’s been seen that way here,” Iwama told Defense News.

“We are quite aware of the difficulties involved with an international collaboration because we have experience dealing with the Americans. We know it’s not going to be easy, but we thought it was a risk worth taking and it has shown it was worth taking, seeing the Trump administration,” Iwama said.

Reports surfaced that Germany might be open to joining GCAP, but details remain behind closed doors. Japan’s position on Germany’s participation will be weighed by numerous factors, experts say, but concerns are ripe in Tokyo that adding any new player could hold up development.

The government “places high importance on adhering to the original development schedule and would likely view the participation of new players as undesirable,” Fukazawa said.

[pax britanica]

EU,Uk Japan Canada Population 685m double that of the USA and four times the size of Russia. Get closer together folks

[golder]

Originally Posted by pax britanica

EU,Uk Japan Canada Population 685m double that of the USA and four times the size of Russia. Get closer together folks

If only there was a way for the EU, They say it is easier to herd cats

[ORAC]

Well, with FCAS dead in the water, so to speak.

I wonder if the Indians have told London, Rome or Tokyo…..

https://x.com/livefist/status/2034320911906836532?s=20

​​​​​​​BREAKING!

India will join either the Tempest or FCAS 6th generation fighter programs, Indian MoD tells Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence

​​​​​​​

[ORAC]

A lot seems to be happening of late.

https://x.com/Defence_Index/status/2...302571092?s=20

BREAKING: Poland is moving to join the Global Combat Air Programme, a next gen 6th generation multi role fighter initiative led by Italy, Japan, and the UK.

Official talks are underway with Italian and Japanese aviation industries, signaling a major leap for the Polish Air Force.

https://londondaily.com/uk-approves-...tealth-fighter

​​​​​​​UK Greenlights Global Combat Aircraft Programme: Second 6th-Gen Stealth Fighter

The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has approved the development of the Global Combat Aircraft Programme (GCAP), a collaborative effort between the UK, Italy, and Japan to create the world's second 6th-generation stealth fighter aircraft.

​​​​​​​This decision, announced after the UK government's recent endorsement, is set to be formally declared in the upcoming weeks.

The GCAP initiative combines the UK and Italy's Tempest Project with Japan's F-X programme.

Despite prior concerns linked to the Labour Party's Strategic Defence Review, which questioned the UK's financial commitment, Prime Minister Starmer's approval has secured UK participation.

The program has a target completion date of 2035, although the project's total cost remains undisclosed.

Jointly developed by BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo Aerospace, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the GCAP will be headquartered in the UK......

[ORAC]

I have to wonder if the rumours about India and Poland - and possibly Saudi - are tied to the government's endorsement of the programme and signing of binding contracts?

It would make sene that they would apply pressure that they wouldn't formally apply until they are sure the government is committed to the programme going ahead on the planned timeline.