Global Combat Air Program (GCAP)

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.

New industry partnerships are moving the Global Combat Aircraft Program closer to its multibillion-dollar design and development contract.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Italy’s Avio Aero, Japan’s IHI Corporation and Rolls-Royce say they have advanced their work in additive manufacturing, cooling systems and high-pressure compressor design.

The trinational industry team developing the sensor and communication suite for the fighter at the heart of the Global Combat Air Program formed a consortium.