In their first-ever trilateral military programme, the U.K., Japan and Italy will develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft by 2035 “to adapt and respond to the security threats of the future”.

The Global Combat Air Programme will see BAE Systems from the U.K., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from Japan and Leonardo from Italy coming together to build the stealthy, twin-engined fighter, which will be known as Tempest in the U.K. and F-X in Japan.

The programme will replace Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2 fighter and the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon, respectively, and compete with those being developed by allies such as the U.S., and a joint initiative by France, Germany and Spain.

“By combining forces with Italy and Japan on the next phase of the programme, the UK will utilise their expertise, share costs and ensure the RAF remains interoperable with our closest partners,” a U.K. Government official stated.

Just the Beginning

It is anticipated that more likeminded countries will buy into GCAP in due course or collaborate on wider capabilities – boosting UK exports. The combat aircraft developed through GCAP is also expected to be compatible with other NATO partners’ fighter jets.

According to the U.K. Government official, the ambition is for this to be a next-generation jet enhanced by a network of capabilities such as uncrewed aircraft, advanced sensors, cutting-edge weapons and innovative data systems.

“The security of the United Kingdom, both today and for future generations, will always be of paramount importance to this Government. That’s why we need to stay at the cutting-edge of advancements in defence technology – outpacing and out-manoeuvring those who seek to do us harm. The international partnership we have announced today with Italy and Japan aims to do just that, underlining that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible. The next-generation of combat aircraft we design will protect us and our allies around the world by harnessing the strength of our world-beating defence industry – creating jobs while saving lives,” Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister, said before launching the first major phase of the programme during a visit to RAF Coningsby.

The Italian Connection

In addition to Leonardo, which has already participated in the programme since 2018 through Leonardo UK, the Italian team will involve Avio Aero, Elettronica and MBDA Italia together with the country’s wider innovation and manufacturing ecosystem.

The programme will encompass the entire Italian supply chain, including universities, research centres and SME companies as well as the industries involved.

“The decision of the three Governments to strengthen their collaboration in this strategic initiative reflects the effectiveness and promise of the cooperation between the partners,” said Leonardo CEO Alessandro Profumo. “This challenging and forward-looking programme for the aerospace and defence industry will guarantee technological autonomy for the countries involved and provide each Armed Forces with unprecedented levels of performance and operational capability.”

Development work is already underway – with the aim to create a combat aircraft that will provide speed stealth, use advanced sensors, and even artificial intelligence to assist the human pilot when they are overwhelmed, or under extreme stress. It could also be flown without a pilot’s input if required and could be able to fire hypersonic missiles.

“The launch of the Global Combat Air Programme firmly positions the UK, alongside Japan and Italy, as leaders in the design, development and production of next generation combat air capability. With our UK industry partners, we look forward to strengthening our ties with Japanese and Italian industries as we work together to deliver this programme of huge importance to our global defence and security. The agreement with Japan and Italy is fundamental to meeting the goals set out in the UK Combat Air Strategy and is set to create and sustain thousands of high value jobs and benefit hundreds of companies across the UK, contributing to long-term economic prosperity and safeguarding sovereign combat air capability for generations to come,” said Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive, BAE Systems.

Judicious Move

“This alliance shows the commitment of major nations to developing sixth-generation aircraft,” said William Davies, Aerospace Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. “For Japan, this is a significant move away from its historical reliance on US aircraft. The decision to work with the UK and Italy over the US is a major win for the GCAP program.

“The GCAP will provide a commercial rival to the US’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program and the European FCAS program,” Davies added. “Its potential use by a variety of nations will provide a sharing of cost, however, its price tag is likely to be high, and countries involved will have to make tough decisions about defense spending.

“Bringing Japan on board will not only be a significant boost to the program, due to the increased industrial capacity, but it will increase the available budget. Extra cash is much needed, given the overall program costs of next-generation aircraft. The US Air Force requested $1.7 billion for NGAD research and development in 2023, and through to 2027, the total expected cost is $11.7 billion. These high costs are also reflected in the Tempest and FCAS programs, which are estimated to cost $2.38 billion until 2025 (Tempest) and $103.4 billion for total development (FCAS). “I doubt that Japan will be the last country added to the GCAP program, as the more partners the program collects, the greater the cost-saving measures.”

“The program will allow partner nations to make design choices to meet specific needs, and also create jobs and commercial opportunities in their respective countries,” said Davies. “The program will also involve equal partnerships between domestic companies, including BAE Systems in the UK, Leonardo in Italy, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. This will bolster domestic industries and provide global partnerships, rather than the solely European alliances that were formed under the previous Tempest program.”

Core Platform Concept Work to Commence

The UK, Italy and Japan will now work intensively to establish the core platform concept and set up the structures needed to deliver this massive defence project, ready to launch the development phase in 2025. Ahead of the development phase, partners will also agree the cost-sharing arrangements based on a joint assessment of costs and national budgets.

U.K’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:”This international partnership with Italy and Japan to create and design the next-generation of Combat Aircraft, represents the best collaboration of cutting edge defence technology and expertise shared across our nations, providing highly skilled jobs across the sector and long-term security for Britain and our allies. GCAP sits alongside our other defence cooperation with international allies, including the AUKUS partnership and NATO – to which the UK remains the leading European contributor.”

The UK defence industry is already leading the world in advanced aerospace engineering. At BAE Systems’ new ‘factory of the future’ in Lancashire, for example, the company is pioneering the use of advanced 3D printing and autonomous robotics in military aircraft.

Leadership Role

A report published last year by analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) concluded that should the U.K. take a core role in a next generation fighter jet programme, it could expect to support an average of 21,000 jobs a year and contribution an estimated £26.2bn to the economy by 2050.

In the U.K., around 2,500 people are already working on the programme as part of Team Tempest and wider industry. Beyond the Team Tempest partners, more than 580 organisations are already on contract across the UK, including 91 SMEs and 26 academic institutions.

The Team Tempest partners have recruited more than 1,000 apprentices and graduates since the launch of the project in 2018, with young people nationwide inspired by the opportunity to be part of a once-in-a-generation combat air programme.

The UK industry partners have already generated strong working relationships with their counterparts in Italy and Japan, which will progress into the new joint development. These include IHI Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan and Avio Aero, Elettronica and Leonardo in Italy.

Long-term Benefits

It is expected that GCAP will generate long-term technological, industrial and social benefits for the three partner countries and inspire the next generation of engineering talent.

“We welcome today’s announcement and the positive momentum we are building with our partners in Japan and Italy towards developing power and propulsion technology for the next generation fighter aircraft. In December 2021, we announced a target to jointly design, build and test an engine demonstrator. This work is progressing well and on track to deliver. “Today’s announcement reinforces the strong and longstanding relationships we value with both Italy and Japan, and I look forward to us deepening that collaboration through this programme,” said Alex Zino, Executive Vice President, Business Development and Future Programmes, Rolls-Royce Defence

In December 2021, the UK and Japan had announced plans to jointly develop a future fighter aircraft engine demonstrator, with the shared intention to explore further combat air technologies together in future.
Work on the joint engine demonstrator is in progress, with the UK investing an initial £30 million in planning, digital designs and innovative manufacturing developments.

A further £200 million of UK funding is expected to go towards developing a full-scale demonstrator power system, supporting hundreds of highly skilled jobs, including many at Rolls-Royce’s Filton facility in Bristol.