Germany said to be in early talks on possible GCAP role

Germany has begun exploratory talks with the United Kingdom about possibly joining the Global Combat Air Program, the next-generation fighter being developed by the UK, Italy and Japan, according to internal German government documents cited in published reporting.

The discussions are described as being at an extremely early stage. The approach was initiated by the UK, which is examining possible cooperation, including industrial workshare and Germany's military capability requirements. It is not clear whether London raised any specific observer status for Germany within the GCAP consortium.

Other internal German assessments reportedly find GCAP unsuitable for the country. Among the issues cited are the difficulty of negotiating an equitable industrial workshare inside an arrangement already well established between the UK, Italy and Japan, and the current specification of the platform, which is described as not tailored to continental ambitions. An assessment also refers to negative experiences linked to the Typhoon project in connection with BAE Systems.

The same documents indicate a preference for collaborating with Sweden and Spain instead. That preference was reported earlier, in June, by Der Spiegel.