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Canada joins GCAP military aircraft pact

Colin Demarest

The nose of a life-size model aircraft peeks around from an observer stand. It's sunny out. — The nose of a model GCAP aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow. Photo: Colin Demarest/Axios

LONDON — Canada has joined the Global Combat Air Program as an observer, aligning with the British, Italians and Japanese on a potential sixth-generation stealthy warplane.

Why it matters: Canada could be moving away from the American arsenal, as it suggested in its first-ever defense-industrial strategy. Or it could be seeking the insights and prestige that come with such a sophisticated — but still in-the-works — aircraft.

The tea leaves read differently to different people.

Driving the news: Word of the deal arrives on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow, among the world's largest aerospace-and-defense bazaars.

Catch up quick: GCAP is meant to succeed the Eurofighter Typhoon, flown by the U.K. and Italy, as well as the Mitsubishi F-2, flown by Japan.

Canadian officials signaled interest in GCAP this summer, according to Breaking Defense.
The U.K., meanwhile, committed £8.6 billion, or $11.5 billion, to the program over the next four years.

Zoom in: Canada is the project's first observer. It's a role that lacks decision-making power, according to the U.K. government.

Go deeper: Canada, like Europe, seeks to break U.S. defense dependency

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Canada joins GCAP military aircraft pact

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