GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme) remained only project in Europe for creating sixth-generation fighter, and so far it advances albeit not without problems, but genuinely better than failed FCAS, which this year finally collapsed after Germany-France quarrel — and now Italians say aircraft created within GCAP may be commissioned ahead of planned timelines.
Leonardo (Italy is one of three GCAP participants including Britain and Japan) CEO Lorenzo Mariani reported this. As Breaking Defense publication notes, he emphasized there is genuine aspiration to commission sixth-generation fighter several years faster from initial date, which was set at level of 2035.
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Defense Express notes such plan may primarily be connected not even with desire to obtain new capabilities for participant countries faster, especially considering today's shaky security situation, but with goal of keeping Japan in project, which previously expressed dissatisfaction regarding program implementation timelines.
Another question is how aircraft can appear earlier, and one of variants is releasing stripped-down aircraft version. In other words, as Mariani says, one needs to adjust requirements which this initial version will meet. And further he proposes to gradually fulfill final requirements, as it always was in such complex programs.
Such idea quite has right to life, at same time it remains unknown what exactly GCAP participants may sacrifice in first versions of sixth-generation fighter. Obviously priority and secondary directions will be allocated, by which they will determine how to move further so aircraft eventually sees light earlier than planned.
In any case, before British, Japanese and Italians now may arise non-trivial task requiring maximum concentration, high cooperation level and mutual understanding.
At the same time worth recalling GCAP already has entire queue of those wishing to join project, and recently Canada became first official observer in project.
Despite this, so far there are no hints GCAP may in near future be supplemented with new full participant. Although variants with some countries, like Saudi Arabia, may be interesting at least from investment perspective.
And some potential participants may be quite risky — this, for example, is Singapore, whose possible participation due to relations with PRC may be unacceptable for Japan.
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