Canada may join the European sixth-generation GCAP fighter jet program amid tensions over its F-35 deal with the US.
Canada could join the GCAP as an observer, which would grant it access to the sixth-generation fighter developed by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy, according to the Japanese publication Asahi Shimbun.
The GCAP is a combination of Japan’s F-X and the British Tempest fighter jet programs and has been progressing at a decent pace compared to peers like the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
The observer status does not automatically translate into a partnership, though the status would allow Ottawa to become a party to certain confidential information related to next-generation technology and would provide it with the option to purchase the aircraft.
The observer position is intended to serve as a springboard for future collaboration. The observer role enables the said country to obtain information from the three core partners to consider broader involvement in the future, which could include production, procurement, or even joining the development phase at a later stage.
Earlier, Sweden held an observer status in the GCAP. However, it effectively withdrew from the initiative in 2023, citing a mismatch in requirements and high costs.
After F-35 Cuts, Switzerland Mulls Scrapping U.S. Patriot Deal Amid Delivery Delays & Cost Hikes
The three GCAP partners are expected to convene a defense ministers’ meeting in Britain to publicly declare Canada’s involvement in the program.
“Canada will decide after (joining as an observer),” a Japanese government official told the publication.
The GCAP grouping has set a very ambitious target: to fly its first demonstrator by 2027 and field the next-generation aircraft by 2035.
The move comes a full year after the UK indicated it was open to welcoming Canada into the sixth-generation Global Combat Air Program (GCAP).
British Defense Minister Maria Eagle said in the Parliament last year that while Canada is currently not a GCAP partner, “all three Global Combat Air Program nations have highlighted an openness to working with other nations while keeping us on track with the program delivery schedule and helping us deliver future military capabilities.”
Japan, on its part, has been seeking buyers for the aircraft since it eased the stringent regulations on arms exports in March 2024. It has reportedly held discussions with countries such as India and Australia to sell the aircraft produced under the GCAP partnership. Poland and Germany have also reportedly shown interest in the program.
Experts believe that opening the program could help reduce the United Kingdom’s financial obligations, as it has yet to allocate a budget for the aspirational next-generation program, causing delays in the design and development contract with GIGO (GCAP International Government Organization), as explained earlier by the EurAsian Times. Japan has grown increasingly frustrated by the delay and has been seeking avenues to address it.
At the same time, Japan is concerned that allowing other nations to join the development process could slow down the program and jeopardize its ambitious 2035 deployment target. Tokyo is under pressure to replace its aging F-2 fighter fleet amid growing threats from China.
For this reason, the Japanese government pushed back against Saudi Arabia’s entry into the grouping. Moreover, the GIGO would need to amend its treaty to add a new full partner.
Therefore, Canada’s participation as an observer with limited access to the program may be more palatable to Tokyo.
Significantly, the move comes days after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Japan along with his Minister of National Defense, David McGuinty. Additionally, it likely builds on the signing of a defense equipment and technology transfer deal between Tokyo and Ottawa in January 2026.
Canada, on the other hand, has decided to take on the role of an observer in GCAP at a particularly interesting time. It is currently assessing whether to proceed with the full purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the US.
Canada’s F-35 Purchase Hangs In The Balance
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, put the acquisition under review in March 2025 amid escalating tensions with the Trump administration, as previously explained in detail by EurAsian Times.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will induct the 16 jets that have been paid for, while reviewing the remaining 72. However, the result of the controversial review hasn’t been published more than a year after it was initiated, with speculations rife that Ottawa may have decided against abandoning the purchase.
As an alternative to the F-35, Canada has an offer to buy 4+ Gripen E/F 4th-generation fighters from the Swedish manufacturer Saab—however, RCAF veterans and serving officers, including the commander, Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet has openly backed completing the F-35 purchase, emphasizing that Ottawa needs a fifth-generation fighter to combat emerging threats from Russia and China.
So far, there appears to be a positive momentum towards completing the F-35 purchase. For instance, the Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet traveled to Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth production facility earlier this year to sign the fuselage bulkhead for the first Canadian F-35, and the Canadian government has begun making payments for key components of 14 additional F-35s.
However, it is hard to ignore that the US-Canada relationship has reached a nadir under Donald Trump’s Presidency. Besides imposing unprecedented tariffs that have affected the Canadian economy, calling upon Ottawa to become the 51st state of the United States, and frequently castigating the Canadian leadership, the US has also attempted to snap borders and physical links between the two North American countries.
For instance, the US government has decided to shutter a nearly 14-kilometer stretch of road along its border between Montana and Alberta from 1 July owing to “security concerns” that purportedly include illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Before this, Donald Trump had threatened to block the opening of a 1.5-mile-long Gordie Howe Bridge between Detroit, US, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, a much-needed crossing between the two North American neighbors.
Not just that, in January 2026, reports suggested that the Canadian military is developing a military response to a potential US invasion of the country, indicating the extent of suspicion in the bilateral relationship.
Therefore, it may not be an easy decision to favor the American-origin fifth-generation fighters, particularly as Carney has taken a firm stand against Trump’s bullying.
Therefore, if Ottawa scraps the F-35 acquisition, the prospect of becoming a partner in a sixth-generation aircraft program may appear attractive. It will allow the RCAF to zoom past the fifth generation with a more capable fighter, whilst bypassing reliance on the US.
However, in the situation that it completes the F-35 purchase to avoid the challenges of operating a mixed fleet, the GCAP would still allow Canada to make a reasonable jump from fifth to sixth-generation fighter jets—this time, without relying on the American F-47 next-generation fighter that Trump has indicated would be open to export, albeit in an inferior variant.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
