SerpApi.Org
LONDON — Canada has joined the Global Combat Air Program as an observer, aligning with the British, Italians and Japanese on a potential sixth-generation stealthy warplane.
Why it matters: Canada could be moving away from the American arsenal, as it suggested in its first-ever defense-industrial strategy. Or it could be seeking the insights and prestige that come with such a sophisticated — but still in-the-works — aircraft.
- The tea leaves read differently to different people.
Driving the news: Word of the deal arrives on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow, among the world's largest aerospace-and-defense bazaars.
Catch up quick: GCAP is meant to succeed the Eurofighter Typhoon, flown by the U.K. and Italy, as well as the Mitsubishi F-2, flown by Japan.
- Canadian officials signaled interest in GCAP this summer, according to Breaking Defense.
- The U.K., meanwhile, committed £8.6 billion, or $11.5 billion, to the program over the next four years.
Zoom in: Canada is the project's first observer. It's a role that lacks decision-making power, according to the U.K. government.
Go deeper: Canada, like Europe, seeks to break U.S. defense dependency
