Germany Weighs Joining U.K.-Led GCAP Fighter Program as Time Pressure Mounts

Berlin is testing whether it can secure a place in the Global Combat Air Programme, the sixth-generation fighter project run by the U.K., Italy and Japan. No decision has been made, and time pressure is shaping every step.

Boris Pistorius said on Monday, Nov. 2, that he will hold talks with his Italian and Japanese counterparts over the next two weeks, according to dpa. He spoke in Berlin at a joint press conference with U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting.

Germany is exploring the conditions for entry, Pistorius said, not committing to join.

A Race Against the Clock

“We agree that time is a crucial factor in this matter,” Pistorius said, according to dpa.

The parties want to establish quickly whether all three existing partners are prepared to take Germany in, and on what terms, dpa reported.

Pistorius noted that the three GCAP partners spent five years negotiating their current contract, Tagesspiegel and AFP reported. He said the capability must be available in the early 2040s.

Talks With Rome and Tokyo

Initial discussions have already taken place, according to Tagesspiegel and AFP. Jiji Press reported that Pistorius will speak with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. His Italian counterpart is Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.

Pistorius said the talks with Rome and Tokyo will show whether entry is conceivable in terms of timing and the distribution of work shares, Tagesspiegel reported. Next steps would follow only after that, if at all.

Türkiye Today reported that he left open the possibility that Germany may choose not to proceed.

London Open, but Not Alone

Streeting said Britain is open to German participation but would decide jointly with Italy and Japan, according to Tagesspiegel, AFP and Jiji. He also said London wants to understand Germany’s requirements and assess whether synergies exist, Tagesspiegel reported.

Pistorius described German-British relations as “better than ever before,” dpa reported. Britain, facing fiscal constraints, is looking to Germany to share development costs, according to the Asahi Shimbun.

The Road to Monday’s Talks

The Berlin talks follow weeks of signaling. On Oct. 8, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Britain was open to German participation and wanted to advance the matter with Italy and Japan, Reuters and the Japan Times reported.

In Tokyo on Oct. 28, Merz said Germany was examining whether it could play a role in GCAP and that the German and Japanese defense ministers would meet soon, according to Reuters.

He said the existing partners’ discussions on industrial work share were already at an advanced stage and that Berlin was weighing all options. He also cautioned that Germany might not meet Japan’s hoped-for timeline of a decision by the start of next year, Reuters reported.

At the same news conference, Merz said: “We also intend to explore whether cooperation in fighter aircraft development is possible,” according to the Asahi Shimbun. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not mention GCAP by name, Reuters reported.

Tokyo’s Timeline Concerns

Japan wants the aircraft in service in 2035 and is wary of delays, the Asahi Shimbun reported. A Japanese Defense Ministry source told the newspaper that if Germany joins, “it will be inevitable to renegotiate the division of work agreed on by Japan, Britain and Italy.”

Asahi added that observer status for Germany, as Canada has, would not affect Japan.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo will proceed “while taking into account such factors as the impact on the development schedule and the defense industry,” according to Kyodo and Jiji.

Clash Report earlier reported that industry figures warn a full German partnership could push the program back by one to two years, depending on Berlin’s demands for design and production work.

Rome Signals Openness

Italy has signaled it would welcome new partners. In June, Crosetto said Rome would be “completely willing” if Germany or Saudi Arabia were to join, Reuters reported on June 23.

“The more there are, the greater the chances of creating something and bringing down costs,” he said.

Doubts in Berlin

Not everyone in the German defense establishment favors GCAP. Politico reported on Oct. 21, citing ministry notes it had seen, that an internal defense ministry assessment rated a new German-Swedish-Spanish partnership as “more advantageous and promising” than joining GCAP.

The assessment is not a final government decision, and Politico said nothing showed that Pistorius had endorsed it. Clash Report covered the assessment when it surfaced.

Merz has said Germany is assessing all options. Kyodo reported that cooperation with Sweden is viewed as a potential alternative.

Life After FCAS

Germany has been without a fighter partner since June 8, when it and France ended the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). Airbus and Dassault Aviation had failed to resolve disputes over leadership, work share and intellectual property, according to Reuters and Euronews.

France sought a carrier-capable, nuclear-capable aircraft. Germany saw little need for either, Euronews reported.

FCAS was launched in 2017, and Spain joined later. It was meant to replace Germany’s Eurofighters and France’s Rafales from around 2040, according to Politico. Work on a shared combat cloud may continue, Euronews reported.

The GCAP Framework

The U.K., Italy and Japan announced GCAP in December 2022. The program merged Britain’s Tempest with a Japanese fighter initiative, with a target of fielding the aircraft by 2035, according to Reuters and Türkiye Today. Clash Report earlier reported that London was courting Berlin for a role.

The industrial partners are BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. (JAIEC), which is backed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Reuters reported.

Canada became the program’s first observer in July 2026. Australia and Saudi Arabia have shown interest, according to Kyodo.