Tokio. Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy have agreed to accelerate the joint development of a new generation of combat aircraft, the defense ministers of the three countries announced.
The ministers also announced the creation of a tripartite organization that will work with the parties to produce the aircraft, Japanese officials confirmed this Sunday.
The three countries agreed in 2022 to jointly produce a new combat aircraft that will be ready by 2035, under the Global Air Combat Program (GCAP) to strengthen cooperation in the face of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
The new aircraft will replace the F-2 that Japan is retiring and developed together with the United States, and the Eurofighter Typhoon, developed jointly between the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met with his British counterpart John Healey and his Italian counterpart Guido Crosett.
Following the meeting, Nakatani reported that the GCAP International Governmental Organization (GIGO) will be created later this year to oversee the development of the aircraft.
The ministers met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven defense ministers’ meeting in Naples, Italy.
Several private companies – including the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the British BAE Systems PLC and the Italian Leonardo – are involved in the project.
GIGO, which will be based in the United Kingdom and chaired by a Japanese official, will oversee the development of the aircraft.
“We now see the launch of GIGO and the joint project on track” to sign the first contract next year, Nakatani said.
Sunday’s agreement addresses concerns about the progress of the project despite changes in governments in Japan and the United Kingdom.
In Tokyo, Mitsubishi Heavy displayed a model of the plane, one-tenth the size of the original, at an air show last week.
Akira Sugimoto, Mitsubishi Heavy senior representative for GCAP, said the initiative is important for Japanese suppliers and the country’s industry.
“Our basic position is to add our strengths to develop a high-quality combat aircraft. “I think Japanese vendors have outstanding technologies and I hope as many of them as possible join (GCAP),” Sugimoto said.
“I also believe that it will help Japanese suppliers improve their ability to develop teams and contribute to providing a better outlook and greater stability and a better business environment,” he said.
Japan, which has been rapidly strengthening its military capabilities, hopes to have greater capacity to confront growing Chinese assertiveness. The fighter aircraft project could benefit the Japanese defense industry, largely focused on the domestic market and very underdeveloped.
Japan has lifted its arms export restrictions to allow future sales of the fighter jet and licensing of weapons, such as the PAC-3 surface-to-air interceptor missiles produced in Japan to supplement the US inventory, which was reduced due to the support for Ukraine.
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