According to reports by Japanese media, this agreement was announced following a meeting held in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.
In a significant move towards advancing military technology, defense ministers from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy have reached an agreement to accelerate the joint development of a next-generation fighter jet.
According to reports by Japanese media, this agreement was announced following a meeting held in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.
The defense ministers confirmed their intentions to finalize the first public-private contract for the ambitious project by next year, with a goal of having the aircraft operational by 2035.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, alongside his British and Italian counterparts, John Healey and Guido Crosetto, held discussions about the fighter jet initiative during the inaugural ministerial meeting on defense at the G7 summit.
Additionally, Minister Nakatani revealed plans to appoint Masami Oka, the former vice minister of defense for international affairs, as the leader of the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP). This collaborative effort among Japan, the UK, and Italy is aimed at developing the new generation of fighter aircraft.
To facilitate the program’s management and oversight, the GCAP International Government Organization (GIGO) is projected to be established in the UK later this year.
