GCAP partners launch Edgewing joint venture to take programme forward

The international industry partners behind the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy) and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co (Japan) – officially launched a joint venture called Edgewing on 20 June 2025 to take the programme forward.

Edgewing will be accountable for the design and development of the next-generation combat aircraft and will remain the design authority for the life of the aircraft, which is expected to be in service beyond 2070.

The newly formed entity will play a central role in achieving the programme’s goals – including the ambitious in-service date of 2035 – while “setting a new benchmark for trilateral industrial partnership across Europe and Asia”, according to a BAE Systems press release.

Edgewing will have operations and joint teams working in each of the partner nations and will be headquartered in the UK to ensure maximum alignment and collaboration with the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO): the executive body established in December 2023 that places contracts with industrial partners engaged in the GCAP effort.

Marco Zoff, formerly the managing director of Leonardo Aircraft Division, will be the first CEO of Edgewing.

Speaking on behalf of the GCAP industry partners, Zoff was quoted as saying,” 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. Together, we will push boundaries, embrace agility, enhance our national supply chains and create a legacy of security and prosperity for our nations and future generations.”

Masami Oka, chief executive of the GIGO, added, “We welcome the launch of Edgewing, which represents an important step forward in what will be a truly international joint development programme. 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.”

BAE Systems stated of the programme as a whole, “GCAP is a hugely significant programme for the security and economic prosperity of each nation and through effective knowledge and technology transfer, it will help to evolve and build resilient supply chains and deliver important sovereign combat air capability in each nation for generations to come.”