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The UK, Japan and Italy have signed an agreement to build the next generation of fighter jets in Britain, which will take to the skies by 2035.
The country has been chosen as the headquarters of the international Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which aims to develop uncrewed combat aircraft with advanced sensors, cutting-edge weapons and innovative data systems.
The project has been described as one of the most ambitious military programmes ever attempted. It merges Japan’s F-X programme with the UK and Italy’s Tempest project, and has the goal of building a supersonic jet in half the time of previous generations such as the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The new jets are expected to be equipped with on-board weapons systems that will deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning to “maximise the effect” of their arsenal, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
“Our world-leading combat aircraft programme aims to be crucial to global security,” Grant Shapps, UK defence secretary, said in a statement. “The UK-based headquarters will also see us make important decisions collaboratively and at pace, working with our close partners Italy and Japan ... to deliver an outstanding aircraft.”
Minoru Kihara, Japan’s defence minister, said: “GCAP is a historic deal that allows us to share the costs and risks by bringing together advanced technologies. Under my responsibility, we will select the best personnel to meet the expectations of the UK and Italy.”
The three nations signed the treaty at a trilateral convention in Tokyo.
The GCAP was first announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this time last year.
The programme will build on the substantial progress already made in the UK by BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK, Rolls-Royce and the MoD, which have been working in partnership since 2018 as Team Tempest to research, evaluate and develop a host of next-generation future combat air systems capabilities.
When complete, the Tempest is expected to boast a powerful radar that can provide 10,000 times more data than current systems, the MoD said. GCAP will also include uncrewed drones, as well as laser weaponry.
The headquarters will be responsible for delivering “vital military capability, strengthening each country’s combat air industrial capability and achieving value for money,” according to the UK government statement.
Now that a location has been set, the leading industrial partners on the programme are expected to work out their division of labour next year. The governments confirmed on Thursday that a new joint industry group would also be headquartered in the UK but with “significant global presence”.
The three countries have said that the work distribution would be “proportionate to each country’s contribution by financial and technical means under the spirit of equal partnership”.
To date, the UK government has pledged to invest £2bn in the project up to 2025.
