Marco Zoff will be the first Chief Executive Officer of the joint-venture

Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) marks major milestone: Industry partners launch Joint-Venture company Edgewing to deliver next generation combat aircraft. A new chapter in global defence collaboration began today with the official launch of Edgewing, a joint-venture bringing together international aerospace leaders BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy) and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (Japan). 

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 product, which is expected to go out beyond 2070.

The newly formed entity 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. 

Marco Zoff will be the first Chief Executive Officer of Edgewing. Formerly the Managing Director of Leonardo Aircraft Division, Zoff brings extensive leadership experience in international aerospace collaboration and innovation. 

The Company 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 GIGO (Gcap International Government Organization). 

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. 

See for details AVIONEWS 1, 2 and 3.