What Saudi Arabia’s GCAP involvement could mean for the UK
A visual representation of the Tempest aircraft in GCAP. (Photo: BAE Systems)
Analysts have said that making space for the country in the sixth-gen fighter aircraft initiative could give the UK a chance to ease the financial burden of the aircraft’s development.
Saudi Arabia’s interest in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is not a novel one. Yet, the ongoing question on what this membership could mean for the continuity of the programme, its current members and in what form this membership could take, has continued to pique interest.
The multinational initiative to develop a sixth-generation crewed combat aircraft is anticipated to aim for a 2035 entry-into-service date. The concept phase for the aircraft is expected to last until 2025.
The latest comment by the Italian foreign minister, as reported by Reuters, that the deal Italy has with the UK and
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