Two sources claimed Britain and Japan would dominate a three-nation deal with Italy to produce a sophisticated jet fighter, with Rome paying around a quarter of the development cost.
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) will cost tens of billions of dollars before the next jet fighter enters service in the middle of the decade.
“The project will likely cost roughly 40% apiece for Japan and Britain,” a source told Reuters. However, these unnamed sources said most of the program specifics were still being finalized.
That broad investment breakdown is one of the first elements from discussions on a high-profile initiative that will test whether Japan and Europe can partner on significant military projects.
Japan’s defense ministry declined to comment on cost-sharing percentages.
The three defense ministers—Yasukazu Japan’s Hamada, Britain’s Ben Wallace, and Italy’s Guido Crosetto—will meet in Tokyo on Thursday for the first time since the fighter pact was signed in December.
The summit may increase political support for collaboration, even if no new deal is expected.
During the DSEI Japan defense expo near Tokyo, Wallace declared, “GCAP is not going to be a love affair, it’s going to be a marriage.”
The sources claimed junior government officials and contractors in Britain, Japan, and Italy are negotiating which businesses would manufacture which components.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(7011.T) and BAE Systems PLC are slated to spearhead the design (BAES.L). Leonardo Spa (LDOF.MI) and Mitsubishi Electric make the aircraft’s sensors, while Rolls Royce PLC and IHI Corp. manufacture the jet engines (7013.T).
As China’s military capability has grown, Japan has moved to develop secure connections with other U.S. allies, including Britain and Australia.
Sources indicated a collaborative development agency will start developing the new superior fighter in 2025.
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