The 18-month contract will enable completion of the advanced concept and assessment phase. It will also support further joint detailed design and development of the GCAP aircraft.
The contract was awarded by the GCAP Agency, which manages the programme on behalf of the three governments. Edgewing is the trinational prime contractor and design authority for the GCAP aircraft.
The award is the second joint international contract placed by the GCAP Agency with Edgewing. It follows an initial £686 million contract awarded in April 2026.
The new contract is jointly funded by the three nations. Edgewing said it will drive the next phase of key design and engineering activity for the programme.
The award underlines the pace of progress in GCAP and reinforces the programme as a flagship example of defence collaboration. It also reflects long-term investment in a partnership intended to deliver a next-generation stealth fighter by 2035.
Masami Oka, GCAP Agency Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to sign this international contract on behalf of the three GCAP nations – Italy, Japan and the UK. It will enable the GCAP Agency and Edgewing to continue making huge progress in all areas of delivery.”
“The programme is vital for global security and defeating future threats, while sharing costs, technological advantages and creating highly skilled jobs in all three nations. With this long-term funding, the future of GCAP has never been more assured.”
Oka added: “I am excited about what we will achieve over the next 18 months and the opportunities we can create to grow the programme further.” Edgewing said the contract comes one year after its creation and as it continues to unite expertise across the three partner nations.
Marco Zoff, Edgewing Chief Executive Officer, said: “This contract represents the trust placed in us by all three nations and our GCAP Agency partners, trust fostered by the rapid progress made under the first international contract. This momentum is being driven by our disruptive new model of defence collaboration: the first time that three countries have come together to create a single engineering prime, working on behalf of our national industries, with a single empowered customer.”
“As we continue to ramp up operations and execute this next phase of the programme, I look with pride at the strides we have already made and with confidence at the future still to come.” Wider delivery of GCAP is being supported by trinational industrial collaborations involving leading companies from Italy, Japan and the UK.
These include the GCAP Electronics Evolution consortium, known as G2E, which is developing the aircraft’s advanced sensing and communications system. A separate power and propulsion consortium is working to equip the GCAP aircraft with extended range and persistence.
Edgewing said GCAP will strengthen industrial capability across all three nations. The programme is also intended to drive advanced design and manufacturing while generating high-value jobs, intellectual property and economic growth.
GCAP was launched in 2022 to develop an innovative next-generation stealth fighter equipped with cutting-edge technologies. The aircraft is expected to provide the capabilities needed to secure advantage in demanding operating environments.
Edgewing is an international joint venture established by BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. The company operates across the UK, Italy and Japan to lead development of next-generation defence and aerospace systems under GCAP.
