Japan, Britain, Italy to jointly develop fighter jet

Date:

Share post:

- Advertisement -

Japan, Britain and Italy have concluded plans to merge the British-led Tempest jet fighter project with Japan’s F-X fighter programme in the development of a new advanced jet fighter.

Sources say the announcement for the groundbreaking agreement will be made before Japan releases a new national security strategy and military procurement plan around mid-December.

Talks between Japan, Britain and Italy on the new jet fighter, which will be led by BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), will continue next year to hammer details of the project, such as work share and the designs of variants that each partner will deploy, the sources said.

For Tokyo and London, it represents the culmination of ever closer defence ties, which in turn give Britain a bigger security role in Asia and provide Japan with new security partners that can help it counter neighbouring China’s growing military power.

It will be the first time that Japan has collaborated with countries beyond the United States on a major defence equipment project.

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is also looking at proposals to relax its military export rules so that the joint jet fighter could be exported, Itsunori Onodera, a former Japanese defence minister and an influential lawmaker said in an interview last month.

That arms build-up, which could double the country’s defence budget to around 5% of gross domestic product(GDP) over the next five years, will pay for new weapons including long-range missiles designed to deter China from resorting to military action in and around the East China Sea.

See also  NAF Inducts Super Tucano Aircraft

By  Reuters /Zainab Sa’id

- Advertisement -

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related articles

Indonesia looking to sell CN235 transport Aircraft to Nigeria

By Guy Martin State-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) is finalising the sale of four CN235-220 transport aircraft...

What to know about the T-129 ATAK helicopters recently inducted into Fleet of Nigerian Air force by Presidency

by My Engineers On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima inducted two T-129 ATAK helicopters...

Minister Presents Hi-Tech Unmanned Water Vessels To President Tinubu

By Nokai Origin, Abuja The two vessels were by the Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle...

Why Defence Industry Corporation bill was reintroduced- Babajimi Benson

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, has called for the revival of...