Gcap, joint venture arrives: Italy's 33% share with Leonardo, UK and Japan

Leonardo for Italy, Bae Systems for the UK, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement for Japan have signed the joint venture that will develop the Gcap programme, an air defence system based on a sixth-generation fighter jet. In London, the number ones of the three groups, Roberto Cingolani for the Italian bigwig, Charles Woodburn for the British giant, and Kimito Nakae, president of Jaiec, reached an agreement to set up a new company - a business joint venture that will be subject to regulatory approvals - for the development of the Global Combat Air Programme (Gcap), the programme for the next-generation fighter aircraft. The agreement follows a long journey that began in December 2022 with a trilateral collaboration between the governments and defence industries of Italy, the UK and Japan.

The new joint venture will be responsible for the design, development and delivery of the next-generation fighter and will retain the role of design authority for the Gcap throughout the aircraft's life cycle, even beyond 2070. In the joint venture, Bae Systems, Leonardo - who will be the first CEO of the JV, whose name has yet to be identified, however - and Jaiec will each hold a 33.3 per cent stake, combining the capabilities and expertise of the three main players in the sector for the benefit of the development - at an international level - of the aerospace and defence industry.

'Today's agreement is the result of an intense journey made possible by sharing our mutual experiences. In addition to improving our technological capabilities, this partnership also strengthens our commitment to global security and innovation,' commented Leonardo's CEO, Roberto Cingolani. 'Today, we are charting a course towards a new era in the field of aeronautical systems and multi-domain scenarios, promoting long-term sustainable growth for the economies of the countries involved.

For Charles Woodburn, number one of Bae Systems, the arrangement "represents the culmination of months of collaboration with our industry partners and is testament to the great commitment of everyone involved in this strategically important programme. The new company will combine the considerable strengths and excellent skills of the companies involved to create an innovative organisation that will drive the development of a next-generation air combat system, creating skilled, high-value, long-term employment for decades to come in all partner countries".

"As we embark on this exciting and important journey towards the success of the Gcap programme, I recognise that the path may not always be straightforward and simple," explained Kimito Nakae, President of Jaiec. "However, I believe that by persevering in the spirit of solid trilateral cooperation and collaboration that we have developed so far, we will not only complete the Gcap programme on schedule, but also take it to a level beyond all our expectations."