Italy backs Germany joining GCAP fighter programme and rejects FT report of opposition

Rome rejects the Financial Times account

Italy's defence ministry said on Saturday, 14 November 2026, that it fully supports Germany's participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a project to develop a next-generation fighter. The statement called a Financial Times article suggesting Italy had opposed German entry 'completely misleading' and said it did not reflect Rome's consistent position. Italy said it had always been willing to welcome Germany and had proposed that Berlin first join as an observer, so that information could be shared and full membership reached faster. According to the ministry, the aim was to speed up German involvement while protecting the programme's timetable and progress, not to limit Germany's future role. The ministry said it had repeated this position at the most recent GCAP videoconference involving the three partner countries. Its communique put the core point simply:

“Italy has always expressed its full willingness to welcome Germany into the programme.”

What the FT reported

The Financial Times, citing three people familiar with the matter, said the United Kingdom had led a recent effort to examine whether Germany could join GCAP, the British-Italian-Japanese fighter project. According to the report, Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto used an online meeting in the week of 9 November 2026 with his British and Japanese counterparts to oppose giving Germany an equal role. He reportedly suggested that Germany hold observer status, as Canada does, which would give Berlin no role in designing or developing the aircraft. An Italian government official told the FT that Italy had confirmed its willingness to accept Germany but had proposed observer status to speed up the process. Officials from Italy and Japan reportedly feared that adding a new partner would slow the project and cost their companies work, including if Airbus joined.

Germany's stance on observer status

The FT wrote that Germany would almost certainly reject observer status, and a German official described the Italian proposal as 'unacceptable'. Berlin wants full membership, with financial contributions and a substantial share of contracts for its industry in return. German defence minister Boris Pistorius said that, if the three existing partners were open to Germany joining, the decision would depend on whether participation was beneficial for Germany, specifically the balance between work share, timeline and cost share. Germany has the largest defence budget of any EU member state, which the FT said could help fund the jet and boost orders. The FT also reported that Germany is looking for alternatives after its joint fighter project with France ran into serious difficulties.

The programme and the UK's role

GCAP brings together Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan to develop a next-generation fighter by 2035, with Leonardo, BAE Systems and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries leading the industrial effort. The FT said the project is meant to reduce the three countries' reliance on US fighters. According to the FT, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham used a visit to Berlin in October 2026 to declare his openness to involving Germany in GCAP, which made Tokyo and Rome nervous. Rome calls a possible German role a positive opportunity, while stressing that the timetable must be protected. The ministry's statement said it had repeated its position at the latest GCAP videoconference.