Britain has opened the door to Germany joining the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a partnership between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop a next-generation fighter jet.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said after meeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin that London was open to German participation and wanted to advance the issue with its existing partners.
Germany has not made a decision on joining the programme. A German official said Berlin was still at an early stage of reviewing its options and continued to favour a European approach rather than developing a new fighter aircraft alone.
The proposal comes after the collapse of a separate Franco-German fighter project in June. Germany already cooperates with Britain and Italy on the Eurofighter programme, while the GCAP partnership is led by BAE Systems, Leonardo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
For the three existing GCAP partners, Germany’s participation could broaden industrial cooperation and help distribute development costs. Japan, however, is working toward an aircraft entering service around 2035, meaning any expansion of the partnership would need to avoid delays.
The discussions are part of a broader effort by London and Berlin to deepen defence cooperation and strengthen Europe’s ability to respond to security threats.
