German defense chief cautious over joining Japan-U.K.-Italy fighter jet project

Berlin – German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is cautious about his country joining a Japan-Britain-Italy project to develop a next-generation fighter jet model, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported Monday.

This marks a stark contrast with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s positive stance on the nation’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP).

According to the online edition of Handelsblatt, some believe that Japan, Britain and Italy view Germany primarily as a financial contributor for the project, rather than an equal partner.

Against this background, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defense and defense industry are apparently pushing for a similar cooperation arrangement with Sweden, which is being considered by the German government simultaneously with GCAP. In addition, the German side reportedly has issues with a GCAP member firm from Britain.

In an interview with German media released Saturday, Pistorius highlighted the need to scrutinize whether Germany’s GCAP participation would delay fighter development to an extent that would be unacceptable for the countries involved.

Germany will decide on a direction by March next year, he added, apparently keeping the option of collaboration with Sweden in mind.