Japan, UK and Italy establish a joint body to develop a new advanced fighter jet
abcnews.go.comThe defense ministers of Japan, Britain and Italy have signed an agreement to establish a joint organization to develop a new advanced jet fighter, as the countries push to strengthen their cooperation in the face of growing threats from China, Russia ...
TOKYO — The defense ministers of Japan, Britain and Italy signed an agreement on Thursday to establish a joint organization to develop a new advanced jet fighter, as the countries push to strengthen their cooperation in the face of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
The three countries had agreed last year to merge earlier individual plans — for Japan’s Mitsubishi F-X to succeed the retiring F-2s developed with the United States and Britain’s Tempest – to produce the new combat aircraft for deployment in 2035.
Japan, which is rapidly building up its military, hopes to have a greater capability to counter China’s rising assertiveness while welcoming Britain's bigger presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a joint news conference with his British and Italian counterparts, Grant Shapps and Guido Crosett, that co-developing a high-performance fighter aircraft is “indispensable to securing air superiority and enabling effective deterrence” at a time that Japan faces an increasingly severe security environment.
Kihara said no individual nation can defend itself today, adding that securing the technology and funding to develop an advanced fighter jet involves large risks. He said the joint trilateral Global Combat Air Program is a “historic program” enabling the countries to work together to create a new fighter jet while reducing risks.
Shapps said the joint project will develop cutting-edge technology as well as “a new
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