MBDA and Mitsubishi Electric collaborating to support GCAP core platform design
At DSEI 2023, MBDA UK, MBDA Italia and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have announced a signed collaboration agreement to work towards an Effects Domain to support the design of a core-platform as part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
Image courtesy MBDA
In this Effects Domain, the three companies will work together to ensure the seamless integration of weapons for the GCAP platform.
Looking to the future, the collaboration will also include working on weapon effects management and related technologies.
The collaboration agreement is focused on aligning national approaches to Effector integration of the GCAP partners. It does not include the joint development of effectors.
As a complex weapon systems provider, MBDA has a long history of working collaboratively on major defence programmes. As part of the UK's Team Tempest effort at the start of 2018 and expanding in 2019 as Italy joined the growing programme, the company brings decades of experience in developing and integrating weapon systems for various Combat Air platforms.
Mitsubishi Electric is a recognised global leader in its field. The company played a key role in Japan's F-2 programme and has been involved in the development of Japan's F-X next-generation fighter programme. Now that Japan, the UK and Italy have joined forces to create the Global Combat Air Programme, Mitsubishi Electric is also working with Leonardo and Elt Group on GCAP's advanced electronics.
This experience and combined expertise will be fundamental in ensuring that the GCAP effects domain works in harmony with the platform's other domains - mission systems, sensors, power - exploiting the information advantage they will provide and together maximising mission effectiveness. Giving GCAP customers a decisive advantage in the Combat Air.
