FIA 2026: Leonardo chief balances praise and caution over Germany joining GCAP

Lorenzo Mariani, Leonardo CEO and general manager, used a media briefing at Farnborough International Airshow 2026 to set out a markedly more cautious position on German involvement in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) than the one he offered Reuters six weeks earlier.

Speaking to reporters on 21 July, Mariani said Canada’s newly confirmed status as GCAP’s first observer nation carried no real downside for the trilateral Italy-Japan-UK programme. Any nation joining “with industrial capability and financial capability” would ultimately benefit the effort, he said, since Canada’s observer role would grant it insight into design decisions without a seat in the decision-making process itself.

That framing echoed the joint statement issued by the Italian, Japanese and UK governments, which said observer status would give Canada enhanced insight into the programme’s governance, capabilities and industrial framework. The UK Ministry of Defence separately confirmed Canada would gain direct visibility into capability development and industrial collaboration, while stopping short of a formal decision-making role.

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Germany: welcome partner or unwelcome delay?

Pressed on whether Germany might follow Canada’s path, Mariani’s answer became more guarded. He said he personally believed it would be difficult for Germany to enter GCAP simply as an observer, arguing that Berlin’s existing design maturity and industrial capability meant it would have little incentive to accept a lesser status than the founding three nations. Any attempt by another industrial bloc to join the programme risked introducing delays, he said, at a moment when Italy, Japan and the UK remained fully committed to a 2035 in-service date.

Asked directly why he considered Germany a difficult fit, Mariani said Leonardo had held no contact with German counterparts on the subject, and reasoned that a country with money, an established industrial base and mature design experience already running would have no obvious reason to accept observer status rather than pursue its own programme from scratch.

The comments mark a shift in tone from Mariani’s interview with Reuters on 9 June 2026, in which he said Germany would make a strong partner for GCAP and would bring genuine industrial expertise to the project. At Farnborough, he repeated the industrial compliment almost word for word – describing Germany as a positive element from an industrial point of view, financially the strongest in Europe, and pointing to Germany’s long industrial relationship with Italy and the UK – before pivoting to the disruption argument.

The apparent contrast follows comments from Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto in December 2025, when he told Reuters that Germany and other countries could plausibly join GCAP in the future, arguing that a larger partner base would lower costs and increase the programme’s combined expertise.

Mariani was more categorical on France, which exited the rival Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) construct earlier this year. Asked whether Paris might approach GCAP instead, he said he did not expect France to join, arguing that the objectives that led to the rupture with Germany over FCAS remained fundamentally misaligned with GCAP’s industrial approach.

Sensors, payloads and Leonardo’s autonomy push

Like most other defence businesses at the airshow, Mariani used the briefing to sketch Leonardo’s positioning on collaborative combat aircraft and uncrewed systems more broadly. The CEO explained to reporters that the company intended to build offers around existing airframe designs developed with European partners, layering in the electronics and payload systems it saw as its core strength. He pointed to the AW149 pipeline and Leonardo’s Qatar drone programme – now moving through demonstration flights ahead of low-rate initial production.

Mariani also signalled openness to closer cooperation with Ukrainian industry, citing the operational experience gained by Ukrainian companies during the war as a reason Leonardo wanted to work more closely with Kyiv, though he declined to set specific targets for any collaboration.

The Farnborough briefing came as Leonardo confirmed a contract for 12 M-346F “Block 20” light fighter aircraft with Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence, alongside a letter of intent covering AW149 naval helicopters, extending the M-346 user base to 23 nations.

Shephard’s Farnborough International Airshow coverage is sponsored by MBDA

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Germany]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

M-346FA

AW149