A new consortium has officially been established by Rolls-Royce (UK), Avio Aero (Italy) and IHI (Japan) to develop the next-generation propulsion system for the core platform of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

The agreement marks the transition from nationally managed activities to full trilateral cooperation and lays the groundwork for the detailed design and development of the new engine. As in the case of G2E – the consortium between Mitsubishi Electric, Leonardo UK, Leonardo and ELT Group for GCAP’s sensor and communications solutions – the creation of this entity will enable direct coordination with Edgewing, the joint venture of BAE Systems, Leonardo and JAIEC responsible for the development of the fighter platform.

According to the joint statement, engineering teams from the three companies have already carried out several trilateral review and validation activities on the engine demonstrator project, completing the initial design phases and simultaneously initiating hardware procurement.

With the launch of this consortium, the UK, Italy and Japan secure another of GCAP’s technological pillars – alongside sensors and communications – ensuring the development of the fighter’s propulsion system, a critical element for the definition of the core platform and the overall success of the programme.

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