MBDA UK, MBDA Italia and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have announced at DSEI 2023 the signing of a collaboration agreement to work towards an Effects Domain to support the design of core-platform as part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
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.
MBDA, a world leader in complex weapon systems, 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.
MBDA is a unique multi-national European group, a world-leader in the field of complex weapon systems, playing a key role in keeping nations safe. Created in the spirit of international co-operation, MBDA and its more than 14,000 employees work together to support the national sovereignty of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and their allies worldwide. As an accelerator of innovation, MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and manufacturing complex weapons to meet the full range of current and future operational requirements of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).
Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%) jointly own MBDA.
With more than 100 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. Mitsubishi Electric enriches society with technology in the spirit of its “Changes for the Better.”
The company recorded a revenue of 5,003.6 billion yen (U.S.$ 37.3 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.
