Edgewing
"Pioneering a superior next-generation combat air system"
UK-based trilateral JV of BAE Systems, Leonardo and JAIEC leading the Global Combat Air Programme's next-generation fighter and uncrewed systems.
Edgewing is a UK-based joint venture, formally launched and named on 20 June 2025, uniting BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy) and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd (JAIEC, Japan), each holding a 33.3 percent stake. The company was created specifically to lead delivery of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a trilateral effort between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop and field a sixth-generation combat air system, with a demonstrator aircraft expected to fly in 2027 and production aircraft entering service from 2035.
Headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, Edgewing operates major sites across the UK, Italy and Japan, with one principal site in each partner nation. Its mission is to pioneer a superior and connected next-generation combat air system, overseeing engineering, airworthiness and certification across all development phases. In April 2026 the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) awarded Edgewing its first joint international contract, valued at around GBP 686 million, consolidating activities previously run under three separate national contracts into a single fully fledged international programme. The future fighter is intended to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in UK and Italian service and the F-2 in Japanese service. GCAP is being developed as a connected system-of-systems combining a crewed next-generation fighter with networked uncrewed platforms, autonomous adjuncts and advanced sensors, placing Edgewing's work at the intersection of advanced aerospace, autonomy and unmanned air systems. Led by Chief Executive Officer Marco Zoff, the venture is structured to integrate the partners' combat-air engineering expertise into a unified programme team.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Company Facts
Founded
2025
Primary Role
System Integrator
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
Keywords
- Edgewing
- combat air system
- sixth-generation fighter
- GCAP
- autonomous adjuncts
- unmanned air systems
- aerospace defence
- BAE Systems
- Leonardo
- System Integrator
- Drone/eVTOL
- Aerospace & Space
