Italy to Double GCAP Funding
According to a document released earlier this month by the Italian Ministry of Defense, Italy is planning to invest over €7.7 billion ($8.18 billion) between 2029 and 2037 towards the development of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). This is more than double the €3.8 billion ($4.04 billion) which Italy had previously promised to commit towards the effort.
Through GCAP, Italy is working on a 6th generation fighter aircraft together with Japan and the United Kingdom. Though the three states are nominally equal in their partnership, the lower weight of Italy’s defense industry and potential contributions has led to some to view Italy as a junior partner in the project. Most predictions assumed the division of costs between Japan, Britain and Italy will likely be 40-40-20 although GCAP governments have dismissed this as speculation and the final distribution of costs is not yet known. Regardless, with the newly announced investments, Italy is coming closer to being a true equal with its two island nations partners. Indeed in a mid-September statement the Italian Ministry of Defense reiterated that “the Global Combat Air Programme, or GCAP, is an actual trinational programme based on the principle of equal sharing,” and that “the final decision will therefore encompass an equal and balanced share of costs and benefits.”
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the program is still in early stages and much is still subject to change. Recent rumors, delivered to media like Nikkei Asia and Reuters through sources in Britain and Japan, indicate that the UK will likely end up hosting the program’s headquarters. Official government sources have denied this and claim that a final decision has not yet been made. Additionally, UK future combat air director Richard Berthon revealed in an interview last month that there are ongoing talks with Saudi Arabia about their potential involvement in GCAP although there is no clear decision timeline and whether the talks will amount to much remains speculation.
In addition to bolstering its role in the program, Italy hopes that the GCAP investments will help bolster the nation’s high-tech industry by creating new positions for top researchers and engineers. With this goal in mind, the recent GCAP announcement can be seen as building on the €6 billion ($6.38) investments Italy had recently made towards R&D in other areas relevant to national security.