GCAP partners name Edgewing joint venture to deliver next generation fighter

A new design for the GCAP future fighter was unveiled last year (Leonardo)

BELFAST — National industry lead contractors involved in the trilateral Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) have announced the name of a Joint Venture (JV), dubbed Edgewing, to produce the future fighter jet.

Britain’s BAE Systems, Italy’s Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement make up the new enterprise, set to “be accountable for the design and development of the next generation combat aircraft and will remain the design authority for the life of the product, which is expected to go out beyond 2070,” according to a BAE Systems statement.

The UK manufacturer also noted that Edgewing will “play a central role in achieving the programme’s ambitious goals — including the in-service date of 2035 — while setting a new benchmark for trilateral industrial partnership across Europe and Asia.” Breaking Defense previously reported that the three industry partners will retain an equal 33.3 percent shareholding in the JV.

Marco Zoff, a former managing director of Leonardo Aircraft has been selected as the first CEO of Edgewing. As noted in the statement, operations and joint teams will be spread across each of the three partner nations, with the JV headquartered in the UK, to align with the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO).

GCAP aims to replace UK Royal Air Force and Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons, as well as Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 combat jets.

The naming of the JV arrives 12 months after industry showcased a new concept of the future fighter designed around a conventional delta wing shape, giving increased wingspan compared to previous iterations.