The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) partners, comprising the UK, Italy, and Japan, have launched the “Edgewing” joint venture.
Edgewing will be the design authority for the program’s next-generation fighter jet, which is scheduled to be in service by 2035 to the 2070s. This follows the initiation of GCAP in December 2022 and presentation of a concept design in July 2024.
It will be headquartered in the UK while maintaining teams and operations in all partner countries. Marco Zoff, the former managing director of Leonardo’s aircraft division, will be its first CEO.
“We are incredibly excited to launch Edgewing at the heart of the Global Combat Air Programme. By uniting the strengths of our talented people in the UK, Italy, and Japan, we are not only delivering the next-generation combat air system — we aim to set a new global standard for partnership, innovation, and trust,” said Zoff.
Meanwhile, GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) Chief Executive Masami Oka welcomed the new entity.
“Effective and empowered collaboration between the GIGO and Edgewing will be critical for the success of GCAP. I am confident that together we can establish a new model of partnership that will promote international integration, mutual trust and a shared commitment to our future,” Oka noted.
GCAP Progress
The initiative aims to replace the Eurofighter Typhoons used by the Royal Air Force and the Italian Air Force, as well as the aging Mitsubishi F-2 multi-role fighter in service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
No official details or specifications have been released yet, as the design is still subject to evolution.
In May, Japan was doubting the program’s ability to hit the 2035 rollout target “due to a lack of urgency from Britain and Italy,” Reuters reported, referring to unnamed sources with insider knowledge.
However, one of GIGO’s directors, Italian Air Force Gen. Giandomenico Taricco, informed Defense News that all the stakeholders shared the same sense of urgency to deliver the program.
Taricco also shared that the GCAP aircraft is being planned to share interoperability with the upcoming US stealth fighter jet to replace the F-22, called the F-47.
