Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Global Combat Air Programme welcomed as vital for UK combat air sovereignty and allied relations
Conclusion
We welcome the establishment of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which will be one of the UK’s most significant defence programmes over the next decade and beyond. If delivered as planned, GCAP will enable the UK to retain national sovereignty in combat air, providing a vital military capability in an increasingly volatile world. We also recognise the opportunities the programme brings to deepen the UK’s relationships with its allies and to shore up defence industrial capacity. (Conclusion, Paragraph 13) Structures and partnerships
Government Response Summary
The government welcomes the committee's assessment, confirming GCAP's military and strategic importance and reiterating its role in retaining national sovereignty and developing the Defence Industrial Strategy.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We welcome the Committee’s assessment of Global Combat Air Programme’s (GCAP) military and strategic importance. GCAP is being designed to ensure the UK is able to outmatch adversaries for decades to come, incorporating the most advanced technologies to deliver a sixth- generation capability as part of a more integrated and effective force. The programme is also important as we develop the Defence Industrial Strategy. As the Committee outlines, it is key to retaining national sovereignty in combat air, maintaining our ability to acquire and operate the capabilities we need and preserving the underpinning skills and technologies. Through GCAP, and the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS), we are working to retain and grow a cutting-edge defence industrial base and bolster the UK’s international influence. GCAP is a catalyst for investment in science and engineering skills and research and development (R&D), with over 3,500 people already working on GCAP in the UK alone.