His father once played cards with Italian President Sandro Pertini aboard the plane carrying Italy’s 1982 World Cup champions back home. Marco Zoff, son of Dino Zoff, the legendary Juventus and Italian National Team goalkeeper, is now helping shape the next generation of combat aircraft.

Vice President of the Turin Industrial Union and CEO of Edgewing, the trilateral company leading the industrial development of next-generation combat aircraft, Zoff sees Turin as a key hub for the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP). Under the initiative, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan are developing a new combat air system scheduled to enter service in 2035.

“Turin represents one-third of the project’s overall architecture,” Zoff says. “The program is international and based on the principles of equal partnership and equal investment. Italy accounts for one-third, and Turin is the laboratory and focal point of the Italian contribution.”

Caselle to Become a Production Hub

Turin will host the first of three national facilities planned for the program. The other two will be located in Japan and the United Kingdom, while the Headquarters will be in Reading, near London. Design and engineering will be concentrated in Turin, while production for Italy’s contribution will take place in Caselle, just outside the city.

For Zoff, however, the opportunity extends across the entire supply chain.

“This is an opportunity for Turin because the city has long been home to outstanding aerospace suppliers and partners, from mechanical and electromechanical engineering to an increasingly important role in digital technologies,” he says. “In programs like this, for every person employed and every euro invested, at least another €2.50 flows through the supply chain.”

Beyond the Auto Industry

GCAP is currently in the conceptual design phase. “We will soon begin discussions with our partners,” Zoff says. With one-third of the work to be carried out in Turin, he expects a significant share of supplier activity to take place in Italy, potentially concentrated around the city and its new facility.

The project comes as Turin has spent years seeking new engines for industrial growth beyond the automotive sector.

“I was born, educated, trained and built my career in Turin, so I’m doubly happy, excited and proud to bring jobs to this city,” Zoff says. “But this is not an opportunity that comes for free. It requires excellence. There are no free lunches. If the supply chain can demonstrate the capabilities it has shown for decades in aerospace and defense, I believe this could be an extraordinary partnership.”

At full capacity, Edgewing Italia expects to employ about 1,000 people. More than 1,000 additional Leonardo employees are also expected to work on the program, primarily in Turin and Caselle, not including jobs generated throughout the wider supply chain.

More Than a Fighter Jet

Calling the new aircraft simply a fighter jet is misleading, Zoff says.

“This program is only apparently about an aircraft. It is a system of systems, and to function it requires a fundamental digital component.”

The aircraft will be connected to crewed and uncrewed systems and integrated across multiple operational domains, from air and space to cyberspace.

“We’re talking about digital technologies, artificial intelligence, networking across secure international networks, and the ability to carry out engineering in real time across three different continents,” Zoff says. “In this respect, Turin is investing heavily and is at the forefront of Italy’s expertise.”

An Opportunity for Young Engineers

Zoff also emphasizes the program’s potential to create opportunities for younger generations.

“We have hired, trained and put hundreds of young engineers to work,” he says. “We are a driving force for technology, development and highly skilled employment.”

The benefits of innovation, he adds, will extend well beyond the defense sector.

“Mechanical engineering, electronics, electromechanical systems, digital technologies and AI are all areas in which the country and the city need to develop expertise. This program represents one of the largest investments in these fields in the coming decades.”