Japan, UK and Italy agree to accelerate joint next-generation fighter jet project to replace F-2s

TOKYO (AP) - The defense ministers of Japan, the U.K. and Italy agreed to accelerate the joint development of a next-generation fighter jet, and announced that a trilateral government organization would be established to work with the parties producing the craft, Japanese officials said Sunday.

The three countries agreed in 2022 to jointly produce a new combat aircraft that will be ready for deployment 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 would replace Japan's retiring F-2s that it jointly developed with the U.S. and Britain's Tempest.

On Sunday, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, after meeting with his U.K. and Italian counterparts, John Healey and Guido Crosett, said a joint body called the GCAP International Government Organization, or GIGO, will be set up by the end of this year to oversee the aircraft's development.

The ministers met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven defense ministers meeting in Naples, Italy.

Several private sector companies, including Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Britain's BAE Systems PLC and Italy's Leonardo, are taking part in the project.

GIGO, to be based in the U.K. and headed by a Japanese official, will oversee the aircraft's development.

"We now see the launch of GIGO and a joint venture on track" toward signing their first contract next year, Nakatani said.

Sunday's agreement addresses concerns over the progress of the project despite changes of leadership in both Japan and the U.K.

In Tokyo, Mitsubishi Heavy had a 1/10th model of the joint fighter jet on display for the first time and attracted visitors at a major aerospace exhibit last week.

Akira Sugimoto, MHI's Japan program senior representative for GCAP, said that the joint fighter jet development will be meaningful for Japanese suppliers and for the country's industrial base.

"Our basic position is to bring our strengths together to develop a high quality fighter jet. I believe Japanese suppliers have outstanding technologies and I do hope as many of them as possible would join (GCAP)," Sugimoto said.

"I think it will also help Japanese suppliers to enhance their capacity to develop equipment and contribute to provide a better outlook and business environment and stability," he said.

Japan, which is rapidly building up its military, hopes to have greater capability to counter China's rising assertiveness, and the joint fighter jet project would help strengthen Japan's mostly domestic and underdeveloped defense industry.

Japan has significantly eased its arms export restrictions to allow foreign sales of the future fighter jet and licensing back of weapons, such as surface-to-air PAC-3 missile interceptors produced in Japan to complement U.S. inventory, which has decreased because of its support for Ukraine.