The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) Agency, with the full commitment of the United Kingdom and its partners, is set to sign a full international contract with industrial lead Edgewing by the end of June. This agreement will officially move the sixth-generation fighter from its concept and assessment phase into the full-scale design development phase.

The UK Prime Minister’s Office initially highlighted the development on June 13, ahead of bilateral talks in London on June 14 between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Both leaders confirmed GCAP as ‘a cornerstone of bilateral security cooperation,’ with Downing Street confirming that the international contract will be signed before the end of the month.

The timing comes as Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned on June 11 after criticising a Treasury settlement that would raise defence spending to only 2.68% of GDP by 2030. This falls well below the trajectory needed to meet NATO’s 3.5% target by 2035, and would, as Healey warned, ‘reduce the readiness’ of British armed forces.

The resignations added pressure on Starmer, as partners Japan and Italy had expressed concerns that UK funding delays could risk the programme’s critical 2035 service entry target.

The bridge contract awarded to Edgewing in April, worth £686 million ($917 million), only covered work through June 30. The full contract expected by month’s end will move GCAP into long-term development under formal trilateral governance through the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO).

GCAP is now Europe’s only active sixth-generation fighter programme after the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) collapsed on June 9. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius cited “differing positions among the industries” following nine years of development. Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani has since described Germany as a strong potential partner for GCAP, provided it does not affect the 2035 timeline.

Canada is expected to join GCAP as an observer, with a formal announcement possibly made at the Farnborough International Airshow. Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is scheduled to attend the event starting July 20.

GCAP is designed to replace British and Italian Eurofighter Typhoons and Japan’s Mitsubishi F-2. The programme includes a family-of-systems concept with unmanned platforms designed to operate as drone wingmen alongside the crewed fighter.