The Global Combat Air Program of multinational companies developing a new jet fighter has set a timetable for designing its sensors, Defense News reported Monday.
The radar and other sensors of the planned sixth-generation warplane, involving defense contractors from the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy, account for up to 30 percent of the value of the multibillion-dollar aircraft envisioned as a stealth jet fighter, the report said.
With 2035 as the target for the plane to be in service, workshare among the partners can be allocated by mid-2025, according to Andrew Howard of GCAP partner Leonardo UK, which is in charge of the plane’s electronics.
Howard, director of major air programs at Leonardo UK, told Defense News that the joint venture for the sensors could be formed by that time. The consortium’s other goal is to establish within two years how it will integrate the sensor solution into the airframe.
The other firms working on the planned jet fighter’s sensor technology include Leonardo Italy, Italy’s ELT Group and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric. GCAP also groups Japanese firms IHI Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, BAE Systems of the U.K. and Italian companies Avio Aero, Elettronica and MBDA.
