Defense ministers of Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom agreed to accelerate development of a next-generation fighter jet and establish an organization to work with the aircraft’s manufacturers, officials announced in October 2024.
The countries agreed in 2022 to jointly produce a combat aircraft for deployment by 2035 under the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) to strengthen cooperation in the face of growing threats from North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia.
The stealth fighter will replace Japan’s retiring F-2s, which it jointly developed with the United States, and Eurofighter Typhoons, which were produced in partnership with Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.
After meeting with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said a joint group called the GCAP International Government Organization, or GIGO, will be set up in the coming months in the U.K. to oversee the aircraft’s development. The ministers met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven defense ministers meeting in Naples, Italy.
The U.K.’s BAE Systems PLC, Italy’s Leonardo and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) are participating in the project. “We now see the launch of GIGO and a joint venture on track,” Nakatani said.
Akira Sugimoto, MHI’s Japan program senior representative for GCAP, said the project will benefit Japanese suppliers and 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,” 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.
The joint fighter project will strengthen Japan’s mostly domestic defense industry as Tokyo seeks to counter the PRC’s rising assertiveness. Japan has eased export restrictions to allow foreign sales of weapons systems, including the new fighter jet.
