TOKYO, OCT 21 – The defense ministers of Japan, the United Kingdom (UK) and Italy have agreed to speed up the joint development of next-generation fighter jets, and announced that a trilateral government organization will be established by the end of this year to work together to produce the aircraft, officials said. Japan yesterday.
The three countries agreed in 2022 to jointly produce new combat aircraft that will be ready for use in 2035, under the Global Combat Air Program or GCAP to strengthen cooperation in the face of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
The next-generation fighter jet will replace the Japanese F-2 which has been developed jointly with the US, as well as the Eurofighter Typhoons produced in cooperation with the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Yesterday, Japan’s Defense Minister, Jen Nakatani, after meeting with his counterparts in the UK and Italy, John Healey and Guido Crosetto, said a joint body called the GCAP International Government Organization or GIGO will be established by the end of this year to oversee the development of the aircraft.
The ministers met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Group of Seven defense ministers in Naples, Italy.
Several private sector companies, including Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Britain’s BAE Systems PLC and Italy’s Leonardo are participating in the project.
GIGO, which will be based in the UK and headed by a Japanese official, will oversee the development of the aircraft.
“We now see the launch of GIGO and the joint venture on the right track” towards signing their first contract next year, Nakatani said.
Sunday’s agreement addresses concerns about the project’s progress despite leadership changes in Japan and the UK
Mitsubishi Heavy and its UK and Italian counterparts have a 1/10 scale model of the joint fighter jet on display at their GCAP booth for the first time in Japan at the major aerospace show in Tokyo last week. – AP
