ASIM, dec 13
The agreement builds on the strong trilateral government, defence, and industrial cooperation between the UK, Japan, and Italy on GCAP since it was established in December 2022.
The new joint venture will be accountable for the design, development and delivery of the next generation combat aircraft and will remain the design authority for GCAP for the life of the product, which is expected to go out beyond 2070.
BAE Systems, Leonardo, and JAIEC will each hold a 33.3% shareholding in the new joint venture: bringing together the combined strengths and expertise of three leading companies and marking a pivotal moment for the international aerospace and defence industry.
The new joint venture will have operations and joint teams working in each of the partner nations. It will be headquartered in the UK, to ensure maximum alignment and collaboration with the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) which will also be headquartered in the UK. Both entities will work together to support cost-effective and timely programme delivery, including a 2035 aircraft in-service date.
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 deliver important sovereign combat air capability in each nation for generations to come.