Defence industry leaders in the UK,
Japan and Italy have agreed a trilateral Collaboration Agreement to deliver the
concept phase requirements of a next generation combat aircraft for the Global
Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
GCAP is a strategically important
partnership between the UK, Japan and Italy, which brings together the three
nations and their respective industries to collaborate on shared military and
industrial objectives in the delivery of a truly next generation combat
aircraft in 2035.
The agreement between BAE Systems
(UK), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan) and Leonardo SpA (Italy) reflects
positive momentum and strong trilateral cooperation, and will involve the
industry partners maturing integration, collaboration and sharing of
information towards the next phase of GCAP.
The Collaboration Agreement supports
ongoing discussions to set out long-term working arrangements and maturity of
the concept and capability requirements for the next generation combat
aircraft.
Herman
Claesen, Managing Director, Future Combat Air Systems, BAE Systems, stated, “We have maintained a high tempo of engagement with our
industrial and government partners in Italy and Japan since the launch of GCAP.
The Collaboration Agreement signals the strong alignment across all three
nations to meet common goals and objectives on the programme to deliver a truly
international, next generation combat aircraft.”
Guglielmo
Maviglia, Director GCAP Programme, Leonardo SpA, stated, “This trilateral collaboration on the programme, for the development
of a next generation system, represents the flagship of the distinctive
capabilities and disruptive technologies that the partners of the three nations
will share, in an innovative way, for the success of the programme.
Participation in DSEI London fits perfectly into our progress of the
collaboration and consolidates more than ever the strong ties created between
the partner companies of Italy, the UK, and Japan. In this context, we are
particularly proud to be able to contribute to the future and the prosperity of
the generations to come with significant implications for security and
technological development, as well as in the field of research and innovation
in the aerospace and defence sectors."
Hitoshi
Shiraishi, Senior Fellow, GCAP, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, stated, “We are truly honoured to be part of GCAP and will bring all
of our considerable knowledge accumulated through previous programmes to the
table. The Collaboration Agreement is one of the key steps to ensure our mutual
success. We have already started cooperating closely with our UK and Italian
partners and believe that our mix of cultures and diverse perspectives will
contribute to the success of this programme.”
GCAP is a hugely significant
programme for the security, political and economic prosperity of each nation
and through effective knowledge and technology transfer will help to evolve and
deliver important sovereign combat air capability in each nation for
generations to come.