The GCAP Electronics Evolution (G2E) consortium has received an 18-month contract to further develop integrated sensing and communications capabilities for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) next-generation fighter aircraft.
The contract was awarded by Edgewing, the joint venture established by Leonardo S.p.A., Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (JAIEC) and BAE Systems plc. Edgewing is responsible for the design and development of the sixth-generation GCAP fighter.
The contract follows an agreement between Edgewing and the GCAP Agency, the government organisation responsible for managing the programme on behalf of Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.
International GCAP Electronics Partnership
G2E brings together four defence electronics companies from the three GCAP partner nations: ELT Group and Leonardo S.p.A. from Italy, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation from Japan, and Leonardo UK Ltd.
The consortium is working as a strategic enabling partner for the programme and is responsible for developing the Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects & Integrated Communications Systems (ISANKE & ICS).
The systems are intended to integrate sensing and communications capabilities within the GCAP aircraft and provide pilots with information derived from multiple sources.
Integrated Sensing for GCAP
The GCAP fighter is being designed to incorporate ISANKE & ICS as an integrated part of the aircraft.
The system will fuse and integrate large volumes of data to provide pilots with information needed to operate in increasingly complex and congested airspace.
The consortium said the approach is intended to support the aircraft’s information and sensing capabilities as part of the broader GCAP design.
Commenting on the contract, G2E Consortium Interim General Manager Andrew Howard said the agreement represents an important milestone for the consortium and reinforces its role as a strategic enabling partner within the GCAP programme.
He also highlighted the progress made in bringing the national companies together as a single international organisation.
G2E is continuing to work with the wider GCAP organisation, with its team working alongside the GCAP Agency and Edgewing at the programme headquarters in Reading.
