A Royal Australian Air Force official said on March 27 that Australia received classified briefing on the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan’s joint project to build a sixth-generation fighter during the Avalon Australian International Airshow.
The Global Combat Air Program, or GCAP, aims to deliver a sixth-generation fighter by 2035. Officials involved with the program have previously stated that other countries beyond the three founding members could become partners in the project.
Air Vice-Marshal Nicholas Hogan, head of air force capability for the Royal Australian Air Force, said the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan briefed Australia on the program the week of the airshow.
“It was an informational briefing, and we have asked for some more information,” Hogan said during a media roundtable at the airshow. The briefing was primarily to give Australia “an understanding of how we might have to operate with that aircraft … as part of a combined international operation if required,” he added.
Along with GCAP, the United States announced last week that Boeing will build the Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter, the F-47, and an announcement is expected soon on the winner of the Navy’s F/A-XX program.
In addition to these crewed aircraft projects, autonomous collaborative combat aircraft are “starting to mature” as well, said Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
“We’re looking, I think, at a quite important inflection point in air power capability,” as “there’s a bunch of next-generation capabilities starting to mature,” while Australia’s fleet of F/A-18F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers are “steadily getting older,” Davis said during a panel at the airshow.
Air Vice-Marshal John Haly, head of military strategic plans, said during the panel that the decision to reevaluate Australia’s aircraft fleet mix and “partner in or acquire technologies developed overseas” will be made by the Australian government, but the air force will make recommendations to inform that decision.
Hogan said GCAP is “exciting, but I think there’s a lot of unknowns … so many unknowns that it wouldn’t be possible to” present the government options regarding the aircraft “at this stage.”
“But, on paper, it’s a nice-looking aircraft,” he said.
Officials in Canberra believe that political stability is as important as the technological superiority when purchasing weapons from partner nations. The UK has been a trusted Australian ally and GCAP is an opportunity for the Royal Australian Air Force instead of F/A-XX or the F-47.
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