Stealth Fighter V: A European Birth Beyond the American Umbrella

3rd June 2025

2 minutes read

Stealth Fighter V: A European Birth Beyond the American Umbrella

At a time when key U.S. allies are reassessing their historical reliance on American defense equipment, the European Commission on Monday approved the creation of a joint project to develop a next-generation fighter jet.

The project will be a collaboration between British defense group BAE Systems, Italian group Leonardo, and Japan’s public-sector company Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement.

According to the Financial Times, this initiative aims to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter by 2035, competing directly with the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) backed by Paris, Berlin, and Madrid.

The Commission concluded that the agreement “raises no competition concerns,” noting that there is no significant overlap between the companies’ current activities, particularly in Italy’s national market for multi-role combat aircraft.

The V Fighter

The upcoming fighter — a large aircraft shaped like the letter V, with twin vertical stabilizers — is designed to replace Japan’s F-2 fighters and the Eurofighters operated by Italy and the UK.

The headquarters of the new joint venture will be in the United Kingdom, with the first CEO (yet to be announced) coming from Italy, and joint teams will be deployed across all three partner nations.

While the F-35 and its predecessors are currently the backbone of NATO air forces, concerns have been growing in several capitals about overreliance on Washington.

The joint project, based in the UK, will oversee the design, development, and delivery of the next-generation combat aircraft under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

Revealed in 2022, GCAP aims to field operational aircraft by 2035. It stands as one of the most ambitious military projects ever undertaken, intended to expand each country’s defensive capabilities in response to growing threats from Russia and China.

The European Union has been actively encouraging industrial defense cooperation, including joint procurement efforts supported by a new fund that allows participation from third countries like the UK and Japan, provided that cooperation agreements are in place.

British Ambition

The fighter jet project — whose final cost remains undisclosed — is a central pillar of the UK’s broader ambition to modernize its armed forces.

On Monday, the British government unveiled its ten-year defense strategy as part of a long-awaited strategic review, pledging billions of pounds in spending on new submarines, long-range weapons, and ammunition.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated earlier on Monday that the UK must rapidly modernize and strengthen its military to deter conflict, declaring that “the UK cannot ignore the threat posed by Russia.”