Britain, Japan, Italy sign $32B treaty to develop next-generation fighter jet

Paul Godfrey
·2 min read
26
UPI
An artist's impression of what the new GCAP future fighter jet that Britain, Italy and Japan signed a treaty to develop by 2035 might look like. Photo courtesy of GKN Industries

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Britain, Japan and Italy signed a $32 billion deal Thursday to develop a next-generation AI-enabled stealth fighter jet that may fly without a pilot.

The defense ministers of the three countries inked the treaty in Tokyo committing their joint Global Combat Air Program to deliver one of the most "advanced, interoperable, adaptable and connected fighter jets" in the world by 2035, Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a news release.

The goals for the supersonic stealth aircraft, to be known as "Tempest" in Britain, which is leading the program, are to deliver enhanced military capability and strategic benefits and underscore the "indivisibility" of the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.

The future fighter jet will offer battle-winning advantages including next-generation technologies such as pilotless flight and powerful radar that can provide 10,000 times more data than current systems.

"Thousands are already working to deliver the next generation fighter jet the U.K. needs to fight and win against future enemies," British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps wrote in a post on X.

"Today's treaty signing will drive forward our Global Combat Air Programme, which will support thousands more jobs and unlock billions to grow the economy."

GCAP's main contractors -- Britain's BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, defense contractor MBDA, Italy's Leonardo Aerospace and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries -- welcomed the signing of the deal.

Leonardo program director Guglielmo Maviglia hailed the development of the innovative next-generation core platform underpinned by advanced technology as "charting a transformational new approach to international industrial collaboration."

Mitsubishi said the deal provided a structure through which it could collaborate more closely with Britain and Italy to ensure the success of the program.

"We will work to ensure that GCAP contributes to strengthening Japan's defense capabilities," pledged Mitsubishi GCAP Senior Fellow Hitoshi Shiraishi.

Under the treaty, Britain -- which has already invested $3.3 billion on technology and training in readiness for driving forward the program -- will host the joint GCAP government headquarters working with Japanese and Italian colleagues, with its first CEO coming from Japan.

The formal agreement comes a year after the three countries first announced the GCAP program for future fighter jets to strengthen their defense and create high-skilled jobs and strengthen the industrial bases of all three nations while driving innovation that would deliver beyond pure military utility.