Anew joint venture called Edgewing was officially launched Friday within the international cooperation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) that unites BAE Systems for the United Kingdom, Leonardo for Italy and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co.

Ltd. for Japan, with shares of 33.3% each, the Italian defence and aerospace giant said.
    Edgewing "will be responsible for the design and development of the new generation combat aircraft, maintaining the role of design authority for the entire life cycle of the product, whose operation is expected beyond 2070".
    Marco Zoff, already managing director of Leonardo's aircraft division, "will be the first CEO at Edgewing".

The three industrial partners of the GCAP - explains a note - each hold a 33.3% stake in the JV, "combining their respective expertise and consolidating a strategic asset for the aerospace and defense industry at an international level". The company "will play a central role in achieving the ambitious objectives of the program - including entry into service in 2035 - and will set a new benchmark in the trilateral industrial collaboration between Europe and Asia". Marco Zoff, it is highlighted, "will bring with him a consolidated experience of leadership in international aerospace cooperation and technological innovation: "We are extremely proud - he comments - to launch Edgewing at the heart of the Global Combat Air Programme, combining the expertise of the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan. "We will not only develop a next-generation combat system, but we want to set a new global standard in terms of partnership, innovation and mutual trust". And he adds: "Together we will overcome current limitations, promote agility, strengthen the supply chains of individual nations and contribute to the security and prosperity of new generations." "We enthusiastically welcome the launch of Edgewing - says Masami Oka, chief executive of the Gcap International Government Organisation (Gigo) -, an important step in the joint development of a truly international programme: an effective and equal collaboration between Gigo and Edgewing will be essential for the success of Gcap. "I am confident that together we can create a new model of cooperation, capable of promoting international integration, mutual trust and a shared commitment to the future." The company will have operational offices and joint teams in each of the partner countries, while the headquarters will be located in the United Kingdom, thus ensuring maximum alignment and close collaboration with the Gigo. The Gcap - the note underlines - represents a program of strategic importance for the security and economic prosperity of each nation involved, and will contribute to developing resilient supply chains through effective transfer of knowledge and technologies, aimed at ensuring sovereign capabilities in the combat air field for future generations.

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