Summary and Key Points: GCAP — the Global Combat Air Programme, Britain, Italy and Japan’s next-generation fighter effort — may be about to acquire a fourth national partner. Airbus Defence and Space chief executive Michael Schoellhorn said this week that his company would be interested in joining a program where it could secure a significant share of the work and a leadership role, the clearest signal yet of where Germany goes after Berlin and Paris abandoned the crewed fighter at the center of FCAS on June 9, 2026. GCAP is already well underway, with BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. operating through a joint venture called Edgewing and an aircraft targeted to enter service around 2035. That is the complication.
GCAP for Germany?
GCAP. Image Credit: Industry Handout.
GCAP 6th Generation Fighter
Germany could be preparing to join the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) following the collapse of its next-generation fighter jet program shared with France, with Airbus now publicly confirming that German participation in the project is being explored.
Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn said this week that the company would be interested in participating in a program where it could secure a significant share of the work and a leadership role.
The comments are the clearest indication yet of where Germany could go after Berlin and Paris abandoned the fighter component of the Future Combat Air System, or FCAS, in June.
GCAP is underway, with BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. forming the core of the project to build a next-generation fighter to be fielded by Britain, Italy, and Japan.
The joint venture, known as Edgewing, will develop a next-generation fighter that will enter service around 2035.
Senior executives from companies already involved in the project have also publicly entertained the possibility of Germany joining the program, with Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani describing Germany as a potentially valuable addition.
GCAP Fighter. Industry Handout Image.
Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgiç also said that Germany’s participation would not necessarily disrupt the program.
Germany Needs A New Fighter
Talk of expanding the trilateral fighter program to include other nations has been ongoing for some time, with Germany among the most likely contenders to join.
But Berlin has not yet announced a decision, and GCAP is not Germany’s only option. But Germany does need a new fighter jet.
FCAS (Future Combat Air System) was supposed to provide it. Launched by France and Germany in 2017, and later joined by Spain, the program was intended to develop an aircraft to replace the French Rafale and the Eurofighter, which are operated by Spain and Germany, starting around 2040.
But the program was ambitious, intended to build more than just another fighter jet.
At the center of the project was a new next-generation fighter jet designed to operate alongside unmanned systems — much like the United States’ next-generation fighter program.
F-47 NGAD Fighter Mock Up. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
FCAS would have developed a next-generation system designed to function as a system of systems, with unmanned and manned aircraft connected by a Combat Cloud that allows them to exchange sensor and mission data in real time.
Existing aircraft, satellites, ships, and other military assets would also connect to the wider network, making FCAS more of a connected system than a single aircraft.
For Germany, the next-generation fighter under development was particularly important because it would have eventually succeeded the Eurofighter.
Berlin is buying F-35As, but those aircraft are primarily replacing Germany’s aging Tornado fleet and will not serve as a longer-term replacement for the Eurofighter. Germany still needs a next-generation system to keep up.
The collapse of FCAS as a solution, then, means Germany needs a new option. In June, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius outlined three possibilities.
He said Germany could buy more F-35s, join another international project, or establish its own German-led program involving Airbus and several other domestic companies.
Why FCAS Collapsed
The FCAS joint fighter program, or at least the fighter component, effectively collapsed on June 9 when France and Germany ended cooperation on the New Generation Fighter after concluding that Dassault Aviation and Airbus could not resolve their differences over how to run the program.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron made the decision after another round of negotiations failed, killing the crewed fighter that was supposed to sit at the center of FCAS.
Work on some of the wider system’s technologies is continuing separately.
Industrial problems and disagreements drove the decision, with Dassault, the designated prime contractor for the fighter, arguing that delivering the aircraft required authority over major design and engineering decisions.
FCAS. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
But Airbus, representing Spanish and German interests, disagreed.
The companies also disagreed over how the work would of divided, as well as access to intellectual property and sensitive technologies.
They also could not agree on future development plans. Over the years, Berlin and Paris intervened, but negotiations never resolved the problems.
Disagreements Over Purpose
They also disagreed over what the fighter needed to do.
France required a future aircraft capable of contributing to its independent nuclear deterrent and of operating from an aircraft carrier.
Germany, however, has no aircraft carrier, and its nuclear mission is carried out through NATO nuclear sharing.
What Now?
Germany is now under pressure to decide quickly what aircraft becomes its next generation fighter – but one complication with joining GCAP is that Britain, Italy, and Japan have already divided responsibilities and have their own unique requirements.
Germany may get on board, but joining a program not designed from the outset to meet its specific demands could bring back some of the same problems it saw with FCAS.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
