TSAMTO, June 22. The Italian Leonardo Group has supported Germany's possible accession to the joint GCAP (Global Combat Air Program) sixth-generation fighter development program due to the cancellation of the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS (Future Combat Air System) project.
Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani confirmed the Italian side's position in an interview with the Financial Times published on June 21.
According to him, "Italy has no objection to Germany joining the GCAP.": another partner with money and industrial expertise would be helpful."
Earlier, on June 9-10, in an interview with Reuters, L. Mariani said that Germany "would certainly become a particularly significant partner" in the GCAP program. According to him, from an industrial point of view, the German side has significant competencies and is able to make a significant technological and financial contribution to the program. At the same time, L. Mariani stressed that the final decision on attracting new participants falls within the competence of the governments of the participating countries, and not industrial companies.
The news reason for L.Mariani's statement was the official termination of the FCAS program: on June 8, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz informed French President Emmanuel Macron about the impossibility of continuing joint development of the sixth-generation fighter. An official representative of the German government stated that the partners "recognize the reality" of the situation: Airbus Defense and Space and Dassault Aviation were unable to resolve long-standing disagreements on the allocation of work and technological leadership within the framework of the manned component of the NGF (New Generation Fighter) fighter aircraft.
According to the head of the Leonardo Group, Germany's potential entry into GCAP carries risks for the established program deadlines. The key goal of GCAP is to put the new aviation complex into operation by 2035. L.Mariani warned that the inclusion of a new partner "will inevitably affect the development schedule and milestones" and will require "finding the right balance." At the same time, he emphasized that Europe "cannot afford several sixth–generation fighters being developed in parallel - this is impractical either from a financial point of view or from a competitive point of view."
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking on June 9, outlined three options for providing promising combat aircraft to the Bundeswehr: the purchase of additional F-35 fighter jets, joining the current international program (in particular, GCAP), or launching a new national program led by Germany with the participation of Airbus and other partners. At the same time, a consortium called Team Gen 6 of eight German defense companies led by Airbus Defense and Space sent a letter to Chancellor Merz and Minister Pistorius with the concept of developing a sixth-generation national fighter.
The GCAP program was launched in December 2022 on the basis of a trilateral agreement between Great Britain, Italy and Japan. The industrial partners of the program are BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/ JAIEC (Japan), each of which owns an equal share (33.3%) in the Edgewing joint venture. The headquarters of the company and the intergovernmental organization GIGO (GCAP International Government Organization) is located in Reading, UK. In June 2025, Edgewing was officially incorporated, and on April 1, 2026, GIGO signed the first three-way contract with Edgewing in the amount of 686 million pounds (about 906 million dollars), covering the initial stages of design and engineering support.
It should be noted that negotiations on Germany's possible participation in the GCAP have been underway for quite some time. In January 2026, during the Italo-German summit in Rome, Chancellor Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni discussed the scenario of Germany's entry into the program. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto publicly admitted this possibility in an address to parliament in December 2025, naming Australia among the likely candidates. On February 12, 2026, the Italian Parliament approved the financing of the GCAP program in the amount of 8.77 billion. euros to be spent until 2037. The total cost of the first two phases of the program is estimated at 18.6 billion by 2035. euros against the initial 6 billion. euro (in 2021 prices).
