GCAP Electronics Evolution wins contract for sensing and communications in next-gen fighter aircraft

A new 18-month contract has been awarded to the GCAP Electronics Evolution (G2E) consortium, an international collaboration between the national defense electronics champions of Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, to further develop integrated sensing and communications technology for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

The contract was awarded by Edgewing, a joint venture established by Leonardo S.p.A., Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (JAIEC), and BAE Systems, which is responsible for designing and developing the sixth-generation GCAP fighter aircraft. It follows an earlier contract signed between Edgewing and the GCAP Agency, the government body that manages the program on behalf of the three participating nations.

The G2E consortium brings together four electronics companies from the three partner nations, ELT Group and Leonardo S.p.A. from Italy, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation from Japan, and Leonardo UK from the UK, functioning as a single strategic enabling partner with a shared goal: delivering what's known as Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects & Integrated Communications Systems, or ISANKE & ICS, technology intended to make the GCAP jet fighter what the consortium describes as a "sensor powerhouse."

The GCAP aircraft is being designed from the inside out around ISANKE & ICS, which is meant to fuse and integrate large amounts of sensor and communications data to give pilots the information advantage needed to operate successfully in the increasingly congested and contested airspace expected in future conflicts.

Andrew Howard, interim general manager of the G2E Consortium, described the contract signing as a significant milestone for the consortium, cementing GCAP Electronics Evolution as a strategic enabling partner within the broader GCAP program. He said the contract reflects the progress the consortium has made in transforming from a group of separate national companies into a single international entity, and that the group is ready to deliver through the next critical phase of the program's development. He added that the team continues working closely within the broader GCAP enterprise as it comes together with its GCAP Agency and Edgewing partners at the program's headquarters in Reading.