Global Combat Air Program (GCAP)

BAE Systems has reached the "business end" of developing its Future Combat Air Demonstrator, the aircraft that will pave the way for the fighter emerging from the tri-national Global Combat Air Program.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury says the airframer will launch its A320 successor in 2030 as planned, welcoming news that Boeing’s competing program may be delayed.

The UK is indicating it will award a contract for the GCAP program this month in a show of support for the tri-national combat aircraft program.

A UK government decision to wrestle financial control of the Global Combat Air Program away from the defense ministry may place the trinational fighter program on firmer financial footing.

The government organization running the tri-national Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) has awarded a long-awaited contract to push forward with the development of the future fighter.

The UK and France are to launch studies on the development of a successor to the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.

The Netherlands defense ministry is expanding its interest in U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiatives.

India’s Defense Ministry is seeking to join one of the foreign government-industry consortia developing competing sixth-generation fighters.

Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani says he’s “very open” to expanding the GCAP partnership to develop a future fighter.

The CEO of Rolls-Royce says its involvement in the Global Combat Air Program could generate business that surpasses what the Eurofighter Typhoon has delivered for the engine-maker.

Aging aircraft, potential new fighter buys and a long-discussed service merger leave the Royal Saudi Air Force at a strategic inflection point.

A Boeing 757 adapted to test sensors for the trinational Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) has completed its first flights equipped with a new fighter nose fairing.

The UK’s efforts to rearm are marching at two beats—one fast-paced, another glacial.

Labour MPs are looking back at the canceled TSR- 2 and urging the government to learn from history.

Industry and lawmakers are pressing the UK government to deliver a Defense Investment Plan and start outlining defense priorities.

Readers write about the Boeing 757 and Airbus A321XLR, Aviation Week’s Space Tech Challenge Awards, the Check 6 podcast on GCAP and NASA’s future under Jared Isaacman.

Italy is budgeting €18.6 billion ($22 billion) for its role in the design, development and programmatic phases of the Global Combat Air Program.

The Global Combat Air Program continues to make quiet progress despite appearing to be in contract limbo.

Richard Aboulafia joins Check 6 to discuss how 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for two next-generation fighter programs conceived in Europe: FCAS and GCAP.

The program looks poised to thrive in a world where the U.S. has alienated its best friends.

Italy is shepherding a variety of technology projects to enhance development of the GCAP program, comparing it to a "defense venture fund."

The Gulf is no longer the hottest military market, but it is still a prized opportunity for defense companies.

The Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) design needs to have “full-spectrum” low-observability and ultra-long range built in, the RAF's programs head says.

Sweden’s defense materiel agency FMV has contracted Saab for an expansion of its ongoing multi-phase study work into future combat aircraft development.

The UK Royal Air Force is experimenting with data science that can sift through the increasing amounts of electronic data being hoovered up by aircraft sensors.