Aircraft
New-look GCAP On Course for Next Phase Launch
Global Combat Air Program core platform sports a new look
GCAP consortium’s sixth-generation fighter
The latest iteration of the GCAP consortium’s sixth-generation fighter graces the Farnborough Airshow’s exhibit halls.r © David McIntosh@AIN

The Anglo-Italian-Japanese consortium developing the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) sixth-generation fighter has unveiled the latest iteration of the aircraft’s design. New models and graphics show a configuration with a large, near-delta shaped wing, broadly similar to that of other sixth-generation fighter projects taking shape in Europe and on the U.S.

That the configurations are similar is no great surprise, as operational requirements are similar, said Herman Claesen, BAE Systems’ managing director for future combat air systems. “They all need to go far, carry lots of stuff, and to do it with low observability,” he stressed.