Burnham Offers Germany a Route Into GCAP With Italy and Japan — Berlin Agrees to Explore It
Berlin, 8 October 2026
Key points
- Andy Burnham, on his first visit to Germany as British prime minister, said after meeting Friedrich Merz at the Chancellery on 8 October: "I've indicated to the Chancellor our openness to Germany joining GCAP. That is something that we seek to progress in the coming period, working with our other partners, Italy and Japan"
- German government sources told dpa the defence ministers had been tasked to examine cooperation, neither a decision nor a pre-decision; a German official told Reuters Berlin was "in a very early stage with the re-evaluation of our options"
- On 9 October the government's deputy spokesman said a future fighter would be a European solution, a German solo effort being "neither industrially sensible nor politically wanted", and that Berlin would explore cooperation and "naturally has its own interests"
- Japan's defence minister declined to say whether Germany had asked and said cooperation with third countries would be coordinated with Britain and Italy; Burnham repeated the offer to the Commons on 12 October
Four months after Berlin and Paris ended the joint FCAS fighter, Britain has opened GCAP to Germany in public, and Berlin has answered with the word for exploring, not for joining.
Merz and Emmanuel Macron ended the joint fighter on 8 June. Three days later eight German companies, Airbus Defence and Space first among them, asked for contracts for a German-led sixth-generation aircraft in the second half of 2026. GCAP's agency signed Edgewing, the BAE Systems, Leonardo and JAIEC joint venture, to a GBP 4.6 billion development contract on 3 July; Airbus is not a party to it. Before the visit, Britain's national armaments director had approached Berlin and the defence ministry confirmed first exploratory talks; an internal ministry assessment reported in the press rated a partnership with Sweden and Spain as more advantageous.
GCAP's only door built for a newcomer is an observer seat, and Berlin is asking about the terms with its own industry in mind. Canada's observership in July gave insight, not a share of the design; the eight German firms asked for a German-led aircraft, and the ministry said on 9 October it would explore with its own interests. Tokyo's answer points the same way: widening is something the three founders coordinate. Signal No. 163 set the offer beside Team Gen 6's request, whose window closes at the end of December with no award announced. Two tests follow: whether Germany's first formal step towards GCAP is an observer seat, and whether the defence ministry awards contracts on the German track before the year is out.
Related · Germany's next fighter
- Germany and France Abandon the Joint FCAS Fighter After Eight Years
- Eight German Companies Launch Team Gen 6 to Bid for a National Sixth-Generation Fighter
- GCAP Agency Awards Edgewing a GBP 4.6 Billion Development Contract for the Sixth-Generation Fighter
- Canada Joins GCAP as Its First Observer Nation — the First Widening Since 2022
