BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn has emphasized the importance of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) for the UK’s future defence requirements and job creation. Speaking at the Farnborough Air Show, Woodburn addressed concerns about the programme’s cost and potential risk in the upcoming Strategic Defence Review.
Woodburn stated that GCAP is a crucial programme for the UK’s military air capability and has the potential to create over 50,000 high-quality jobs across the country. He also highlighted the benefits of working with like-minded allies such as Japan and Italy to share costs and capabilities.
The Tempest, which was first unveiled in 2018 as a successor to the Typhoon and Tornado, has become an important element of UK diplomatic policy and manufacturing. International defence contractors including Leonardo and Saab have joined Team Tempest, and Japan has merged its own sixth-generation jet fighter programme with GCAP.
The diplomatic significance of GCAP was further solidified when the UK, Italy, and Japan signed an international treaty in December last year, confirming that the project would be headquartered in the UK. Woodburn mentioned that the Japanese defence minister was set to attend a trilateral ministerial meeting this week to discuss GCAP with the UK and Italy.
During his visit to Farnborough, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also acknowledged the importance of GCAP and stated that a ministerial-level meeting was being held to discuss the significant benefits it brings to the country.
Woodburn also addressed concerns about BAE’s priorities with the Aukus security pact between the US, UK, and Australia, stating that it is a huge priority for the company and that they are committed to the next generation attack submarine being developed with Australia and the US.
He also reassured that BAE’s US arm, one of the biggest contractors to the Pentagon, will not be significantly impacted by President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of this year’s presidential election.
At Farnborough, Sir Keir launched a new body, Skills England, to address the country’s skills shortage. BAE, which has doubled its intake of apprenticeships and graduates in the past three years, is a key player in this initiative.
Woodburn highlighted the company’s continued efforts to train and develop its workforce, stating that they currently have over 5,500 graduates and apprentices in training and are set to hire 2,700 more this year. He also mentioned that their apprentice programmes are oversubscribed and that they are working towards broadening their reach to support the long-term nature of their business.
