LONDON — The prospect of another country joining the trilateral Global Combat Air Program remains open, but an expansion would add extra work to an already tight schedule, officials involved with the sixth-generation fighter jet said.
Representatives of the Italian, British and Japanese GCAP leading companies presented at the Farnborough Airshow herewhich had a large wingspan for better aerodynamics.
According to executives, the latest version of the concept is an example of the strength of the collaboration between BAE Systems, Leonardo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
“In the work we’ve done so far with our colleagues in Japan and Italy, we see that our operational requirements align very well, that there is a common approach to the threats of the future and that our collaboration is also very complementary,” Herman Claesen, managing director for future combat air systems at BAE Systems, told reporters.
The possibility of the program being expanded to include an additional country has been floating around for some time, with the idea of Saudi Arabia in the mix capturing the imagination of the world’s aviation commentators. Officially, there is no such move.
“What we can say is that we are developing a structure that is capable and open to other partners – partners are absolutely important because the export market is relevant to the business case (of the program),” said Guglielmo Maviglia, Chief Global Combat Air Program Officer at Leonardo.
The GCAP program is on a “very demanding timeline,” Claesen said, referring to a targeted commissioning date of 2035.
When asked if introducing a new country could cause delays in meeting the strict schedule, Maviglia said it was unlikely and that it would “require an extra effort.”
“What I can assure you is that should such a decision be made, it will not disrupt our ongoing operations – we have a clear picture of the program and achieving our goals,” he told Defense News.
