The GCAP stand at DSEI UK 2025. (DSEI Gateway)
GCAP countries award GBP4.6bn contract
The contract will be welcomed by GCAP’s base of more than 1,000 suppliers.
09 JUL 2026
By
Benjamin
Howe
Defence Journalist, DSEI Gateway
A GBP4.6 billion contract has been awarded to joint venture Edgewing to progress the GCAP programme.
The sixth-generation aircraft programme – being undertaken by Italy, Japan, and the UK – will now complete its “advanced concept and assessment phase”.
The Edgewing joint venture is led by the main GCAP industry partners from each of the three countries: Leonardo (Italy), the Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Company (Japan), and BAE Systems (UK).
Covering an 18-month period, the contract – awarded by the GCAP Agency on 3 July – enables the programme to complete its current phase, which involves “defining the capabilities [required] through rigorous assessment of future military requirements, technologies, and realistic costs”, according to a UK Defence Committee report.
The GCAP Agency manages the programme on behalf of the three governments.
Beyond this, the funding allows for some further “design and development” work on the aircraft and its sixth-generation ecosystem, Edgewing says.
The contract follows a GBP686 million interim agreement awarded to Edgewing by the GCAP Agency in April to keep work on the aircraft going ahead of this primary agreement.
Beyond the three primary companies, there are “over 1,000 suppliers” in the GCAP supply chain, according to BAE Systems, with the UK Parliament noting that there are more than 600 in the UK alone.
For these suppliers, this latest contract secures their future involvement in the multi-billion-pound project. Many of these companies will be involved in the development, production, and maintenance of the aircraft, and its systems, until the 2070s.
The contract award follows long delays to the UK’s Defence Investment Plan which was published in June. The plan confirmed that the UK would contribute GBP8.6 billion over four years for the programme, after prior commitments from Italy and Japan.
Benjamin
Howe
Defence Journalist, DSEI Gateway
Benjamin is a UK-based Journalist working for DSEI Gateway, having previously worked as a Content and Community Manager on Clarion's digital products.