Leonardo, ELT Group, Mitsubishi Electric, and Leonardo UK create G2E in Reading to develop ISANKE & ICS for GCAP fighter jet, with TLSS support until 2035.
A consortium called G2E brings together Leonardo (Italy), Leonardo UK, ELT Group, and Mitsubishi Electric to design the sensors and communications for the GCAP fighter (United Kingdom, Italy, Japan). The goal is to deliver the ISANKE & ICS (Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects & Integrated Communications Systems) architecture by 2035, with support throughout the life cycle (TLSS). G2E is based in Reading, close to the intergovernmental organization GIGO and the Edgewing joint venture (BAE Systems, Leonardo, JAIEC) which integrates the platform. The technical priorities focus on deep sensor-energy-cell integration, AESA radar, EO/IR, ESM/ELINT, electronic warfare, encrypted links, and real-time data fusion. The ambition is clear: a sixth-generation system capable of transforming a massive volume of information into operational superiority, while controlling weight, size, and power consumption.
The facts and the tri-national governance framework
The creation of G2E formalizes sensor-comms cooperation between British, Italian, and Japanese players around the Global Combat Air Program. The consortium is based in Reading (United Kingdom), close to GIGO (the joint government entity that oversees GCAP) and Edgewing, the industrial joint venture responsible for the development and integration of the aircraft. This positioning avoids the traditional silos between “aircraft manufacturers” and “electronics engineers”: decisions on sensor configuration, power management, and structural layout are made as close as possible to the overall architecture.
In this scheme, roles capitalize on national strengths. The British and Japanese teams have historically led in AESA radar and signal processing expertise, Italy leads in IRST (infrared search and track) and defensive EW with ELT Group, while Mitsubishi Electric secures the communications layer, including satellite and resilient broadband links. Edgewing, co-piloted by BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd., remains the prime contractor for airframe-systems integration and overall performance. The pace is set by the goal of commissioning by 2035 to replace, on the European side, part of the Eurofighter Typhoon fleet and, on the Japanese side, the F-2 fleet.
Beyond the first flight, the concept provides for continuous software updates, with a path of incremental scalability: new waveforms, embedded AI algorithms, threat libraries, and non-kinetic functions added throughout the operational life.
The ISANKE & ICS system: integrated sensors and non-kinetic effects
The core of the technical proposal is called ISANKE & ICS. ISANKE combines active and passive sensors (multifunction AESA radar, cooled EO/IR suites, broadband ESM/ELINT sensors, resilient GNSS receivers, conformal antennas), to which are added non-kinetic effects capabilities (directional jamming, spoofing, DRFM decoy, signature management) integrated from the design stage. ICS is the backbone of encrypted communications: high-speed data links, multi-orbit satellite communications, air-to-air and air-to-ground mesh relays, priority and quality of service management.
The difference with previous-generation aircraft is not just additional, it is systemic. The AESA radar no longer simply illuminates a target: it shares the antenna, power supply, and cooling with passive modes, supports EW functions (denial jamming, low-probability-of-intercept waveforms), and contributes to multi-static tracking schemes with other carriers. EO/IR sensors are no longer simple “cameras,” but very wide-field detection nodes combined with high-resolution zoom channels, synchronized with IRST for long-range detection without emission. ESM/ELINT does not “collect” data offline, but geolocates and classifies emitters in near real time to feed into decision support.
Data fusion becomes the cornerstone. It operates on several levels: sensor fusion (track-level), collaborative fusion (multi-platform via ICS), and cognitive fusion (online learning of threat behaviors). The cockpit should not “show more” but show better: a synthetic tactical image, prioritized by the mission, exportable to other vectors (a loyal wingman drone, an AAW ship, a friendly surface-to-air battery).
Impacts on the airframe, energy, and thermal
Integrating ISANKE & ICS in a sixth generation manner requires early consideration of the SWaP-C triptych (Size, Weight, Power – Cooling). The conformal antennas, distributed over the outer envelope, shape the fuselage line (OML) and impose maintenance access constraints. Electrical power requirements are increasing: a wideband AESA radar and high-gain EW transmitters can consume tens of kilowatts at peak. Thermal management follows: heat pipes, air-fuel exchangers, dedicated cold cores, and software-based thermal control to smooth out peaks.
In terms of weight, sensor-comms kits weigh several hundred kilograms once cabling, processing boxes, power supplies, and cooling are included. The centering margin must remain compatible with flight envelopes and weapon profiles. System architects arbitrate between centralization (shared computing racks) and decentralization (processors as close as possible to the antennas) to reduce latency and cabling. Very high-speed data buses (100 Gbit/s and above at the backplane level) and precise time stamping (PPS, PTP) ensure the consistency of tracks shared between sensors.
Finally, cyber architecture is treated as a hardware discipline. ICS paths are segmented, software-defined radios isolate security domains, and cryptographic updates are planned as support operations. The objective is twofold: to survive the adversary’s electromagnetic environment and to prevent connectivity from becoming a vulnerability.
Operational effects and military missions
An integrated sensor and communications system changes the way the mission is conducted. In air-to-air, the AESA radar operates in LPI/LPD modes while the IRST/EO provides silent detection. ICS data links enable cooperative firing to be orchestrated: one carrier detects and classifies, another fires in passive mode, and a third provides firing updates. Multi-static and anti-stealth tactics rely on the synchronization of several remote sensors; the quality of time-frequency alignment becomes crucial.
In air-to-ground, ISANKE provides high-resolution SAR/ISAR mapping, transmitter detection, ground-to-air system location, and the creation of “electromagnetic corridors” via non-kinetic effects to degrade the enemy (jamming, network deception). EO/IR contributes to the positive identification of sensitive targets, while ESM/ELINT updates the threat database during missions. The same suite can conduct SEAD/DEAD missions in support of stand-off weapons, with a shortened sensor-shooter loop.
In maritime operations, the aircraft shares tracks with an AAW frigate, detects an anti-ship missile raid upstream, or serves as an ICS relay to MALE drones. In coalition, inter-NATO compatibility and the “translation gateway” between national protocols become critical; GCAP’s promise is to deliver a platform that “speaks multiple dialects” without information leakage.
These operational effects rely on digital logistics: EW libraries, frequency tables, waveform profiles, cryptographic keys, and security patches. The TLSS (through-life support) provided by G2E includes these flows as well as spare parts.
Industrial challenges, schedule, and risks
On the industrial front, G2E is streamlining the chain by bringing it closer to the prime contractor Edgewing and GIGO. This proximity should speed up decision-making and limit schedule and cost overruns. The major milestone remains the 2035 delivery of an initial standard, followed by annual or biannual software increments. Flight testing will be based on dedicated flying test beds (e.g., Leonardo UK’s “Excalibur” platforms), antenna demonstrators, and electromagnetic warfare laboratories.
The main risks have been identified: maturity of certain components (wideband conformal antennas, high-efficiency power amplifiers), high-density thermal management, cybersecurity of ICS chains, availability of critical electronic components, and semiconductor sovereignty. The solution lies in diversifying sources, foundry agreements, and a modular architecture that allows for the insertion of a more modern generation of chips without a complete overhaul of the software.
In terms of costs, the advantage of a single consortium for ISANKE & ICS is that it pools non-recurring work, stabilizes parts lists, and reduces integration costs for each cell produced. In terms of strengths, this should translate into controlled ownership costs over twenty to thirty years and the ability to remain tactically relevant through software updates, without grounding the aircraft for major redesigns.
Finally, the political aspect is not neutral: GCAP is part of a logic of shared sovereignty between Europe and Japan. The success of G2E and Edgewing will weigh on the credibility of the Italian-British-Japanese axis in the face of competing offers, both in terms of exports and in the definition of sensor-comms standards for the next two decades.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.