UK, Italy, Japan award £4.6 billion contract to advance GCAP fighter jet
LONDON, - Britain, Italy and Japan awarded a £4.6 billion ($6.14 billion) contract to industry joint venture Edgewing to build the new Global Combat Air Programme fighter jet, the UK government said on Friday, advancing the project to the next phase of development. After nine months of delays over its squeezed military budget, Britain committed on Tuesday £8.6 billion over four years to GCAP, providing its share of the funding for the tri-nation project as part of efforts to boost defence.
"The Global Combat Air Programme will give our pilots a cutting-edge stealth fighter jet. Signing this £4.6 billion contract alongside Italy and Japan is a major step forward towards delivery," Luke Pollard, Britain's minister for defence readiness, said in a statement. The contract award comes after a rival Franco-German fighter programme collapsed in June, leaving European defence alliances in flux, and making it more likely that another country could seek to join GCAP.
"The Global Combat Air Programme will give our pilots a cutting-edge stealth fighter jet. Signing this £4.6 billion contract alongside Italy and Japan is a major step forward towards delivery," Luke Pollard, Britain's minister for defence readiness, said in a statement. The contract award comes after a rival Franco-German fighter programme collapsed in June, leaving European defence alliances in flux, and making it more likely that another country could seek to join GCAP.
Next Story