A military aviation joint venture to deliver a fighter aircraft will stay on schedule even if other nations get involved, according to its chief executive on Monday, July 20th.
Under British, Italian, and Japanese direction, Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) fighter aircraft are set to be in service by 2035. Canada has now reached a deal to join the trio as an observer, involving no financial outlay, in a development expected to be confirmed on Tuesday, July 21st. Importantly, reconfiguring the total number of participant countries is not expected to delay completion.
In the words of Edgewing CEO Marco Zoff
There is such pressure and such direction from our three governments to keep the timing strict and to deliver that I think we will find a way to accommodate… not jeopardizing the final timeline.
The Edgewing venture behind GCAP—a sixth-generation stealth fighter—is jointly owned by BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement. It is expected to generate new interest, with Saudi Arabia a possible buyer, prompted in part by the collapse of a competing Franco-German product, the FCAS programme.
