New international contract Next-Generation Fighter Jet 

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The £4.6 billion contract awarded to industry joint venture Edgewing, funded jointly by the three partner nations, will advance the next stage of the aircraft's design.

Over £4 billion is being invested today in the next generation high-tech fighter jet, which will secure the skies and support skilled manufacturing jobs in Britain.

The contract, signed today, is a key milestone for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a groundbreaking collaboration between the UK, Japan and Italy to develop a sixth-generation combat aircraft, targeted to enter service in 2035.

It comes just after the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) confirmed this week that the UK would invest £8.6bn into the programme over four years.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said:

"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.

"This milestone strengthens our partnership with international allies, supports thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK, and will give the RAF the tools they need to keep the UK safe, all backed by an £8.6bn commitment in the Defence Investment Plan."

The GCAP fighter jet will work alongside Typhoons, F-35s and autonomous systems as part of a next-generation Royal Air Force. The aircraft will use complex digital engineering, AI and ground-breaking technologies to be the most advanced fighter jet flown by the RAF.

The £4.6 billion contract, funded jointly by the three nations, has been awarded through the GCAP Agency to industry joint venture Edgewing, and will advance the next stage of the aircraft’s design by establishing its key requirements and rigorous testing. GCAP and the UK’s future combat air system has already delivered tangible advances in UK digital engineering and advanced manufacturing, including the use of AI, robotics, augmented reality and additive manufacturing to speed up design, testing and production processes.

GCAP delivers significant long-term economic benefits to the UK and is part of the UK’s future combat air system, which already helps support 4,500 jobs across the country. With a supply chain of approximately 600 organisations, the work strengthens the UK’s sovereign industrial base, securing skilled good manufacturing jobs.

The DIP committed over £1.1 billion of new funding to upgrade and sustain the RAF’s Typhoon force into the 2040s, £2.2 billion for purchasing new F-35s to expand the UK’s fleet of stealth fighter jets, and £300 million to begin developing a new UK autonomous combat aircraft.

GCAP brings together the industrial and technological strengths of all three nations, driving innovation and skills across key areas such as digital engineering, advanced propulsion, sensors and data systems, delivering a highly capable future combat air system.