Edgewing Forge is a new digital technology engagement and adoption project designed to identify, test and integrate cutting-edge technologies into the Global Combat Air Programme at pace.
Run by Edgewing’s Digital and Information function, the project provides a structured route for companies to engage with one of the world’s most significant defence programmes, helping bring new tools, capabilities and ways of working into the programme faster, more deliberately and with greater impact.
The project has been established to help Edgewing and the three Partner Nations strengthen delivery, solve priority challenges, and support long-term capability advantage. It is focused on real commercial and operational impact through deep partnership with a carefully selected number of strategic digital technology partners. It is a global project with a strong focus on engaging firms from Italy, Japan and the UK.
Edgewing will work with companies whose technologies can improve programme delivery, resilience and adaptability, while enabling faster integration of new capabilities. Selected companies will be supported in becoming defence-ready, smoothing the path from discovery to adoption, from testing to integration, and from promise to programme use.
The first 12 Challenge Statements have
now been published.These statements
sit across four areas: Engineering,
Program Management, Supply Chain
and Multi-national collaboration.
These challenges have been selected
to help accelerate the schedule during
the design and development phase
of the GCAP programme.
Edgewing has just been entrusted with a £4.6bn detailed-design contract, and technology is advancing at extraordinary pace. New tools, new capabilities and new ways of working are emerging faster than traditional programmes can absorb them. Edgewing Forge gives us a disciplined way to engage with the best of industry, test what works against real challenges, and move quickly where digital technology can deliver genuine advantage.
This is about discovering, proving and delivering the technologies that will help us build a stronger, more resilient and continuously improving programme.
Kate Robertson, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Edgewing
Edgewing Forge is open for business today, with the first initiatives expected to run this year and full tri-national operations planned from January 2027. It aims to establish five to ten strategic partnerships per year across the project. These partnerships will be designed to deliver value both ways: commercial growth and strategic opportunity for the companies involved, and increased resilience, performance and adaptability for Edgewing and its Partner Nations.
Edgewing Forge creates a platform for users, programme teams and digital technology companies to work together around the challenges that matter most. For companies, it offers the opportunity to participate in a major, funded programme of record and work on some of the most important capability delivery and support challenges of the coming decades. For Edgewing and the Partner Nations, it lays a foundation stone for a stronger, more resilient and more adaptable capability.
This project is truly important, not only for the military environment – but for what’s going to produce for our nations. We have big responsibilities with big opportunities. The final goal is to help in developing an efficient, ever improving program, empowered by cutting-edge technologies and focused on delivering advantage to all three nations. This programme helps all of us to move faster with a disciplined adoption of new technologies.General Alessandro Pellegrini, GCAP International Government Organization (GIGO), Digital & Infrastructure Division Head
Challenge statements
Engineering
The present and future of our engineering
depends on connecting people, data, knowledge
and decisions to deliver faster and smarter.
1. Trust by Default
We want assurance and compliance to be
continuous, automated and trusted by design,
so engineers spend less time on paperwork and
more time delivering innovation.
2. Every Engineer Superpowered
We want every engineer empowered by intelligent
digital capabilities that accelerate decisions, trade off
evaluations, improve collaboration and unlock productivity
and creativity.
3. Engineering without Boundaries
We want a connected engineering ecosystem where people,
processes, data and tools work seamlessly together across the
entire programme lifecycle.
Programme Management
Programme delivery, enabled by digital technology,
must be predictive, connected and resilient; anticipating
earlier, coordinating better and making decisions with
confidence.
1. No Surprises
We want programme leaders to identify risks early, improve
forecasting and act before issues impact delivery.
2. One Team, One Plan
We want connected teams, shared visibility on dependencies
and seamless coordination across organisations, suppliers and
stakeholders.
3. Explore Tomorrow, Today
We want teams to explore scenarios, evaluate trade-offs and
choose the best path before committing time, cost and resources.
Supply Chain
Our supply chains must be trusted, agile
and connected; bringing greater visibility,
collaboration and resilience across every partner.
1. Trust What You Buy
We want real-time visibility into supplier performance,
enabling earlier risk detection and greater confidence
in delivery.
2. Faster Decisions, Better Outcomes
We want to simplify procurement processes and governance,
ccelerating decisions while reducing administrative effort and
improving compliance.
3. One Supply Chain, Many Partners
We want a connected supply chain where organisations and
nations collaborate and plan seamlessly, make better decisions
and respond faster to change.
Multi-national Collaboration
The future of multinational collaboration is a connected,
trusted and secure digital ecosystem where people,
information and systems work seamlessly together.
1. Collaborate Without Barriers
We want secure, frictionless collaboration across
organisations, nations and security domains,
making teamwork seamless by default.
2. Trusted Information, Trusted Decisions
We want trusted, accessible and secure information
that enables faster, more confident decisions across
every organisation.
3. Connect the Ecosystem
We want interoperable digital ecosystems that connect
platforms, services and partners, enabling innovation
and delivering value together.
Companies interested in participating are invited to learn more via the Forge Challenge Statements or contact: TheForge@edgewing.com.