It was revealed that the UK and Japan, which are promoting the development of the next fighter aircraft, are coordinating their plans and coordinating to launch a new joint venture. Aim for an agreement within the year.
While the UK is leading the international collaborative development project for the "Tempest," which will be the successor to the "Eurofighter," it has also cooperated with Japan, which plans to develop a successor to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force "F2." Both countries are inclined to judge that the integration of the two businesses is expected to have a synergistic effect in terms of both technology and cost.
"It will be an equal partnership between Japan and the UK," said one of the people. Development costs haven't been decided yet, but they're likely to be in the tens of billions of dollars, according to people familiar with the matter.
Another source said, "We are considering procuring the same fighter basically as the main scenario while slightly changing the specifications."
The UK Ministry of Defense declined to comment on Reuters' interview. The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency of Japan replied, "As we agreed at the Japan-UK summit meeting in May, we would like to decide the overall picture of cooperation by the end of this year." "We will pursue various possibilities of cooperation with the United Kingdom, which is an ally of the United States."
The British government may announce the latest status of the Tempest program at the Farnborough Airshow starting early on the 18th, according to another source.
British defense giant BAE Systems, which undertakes the Tempest business, declined to comment. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which leads Japan's next fighter plan, said it was not in a position to comment because of the government's business.
Britain's partnership with Japan in fighter development will provide an opportunity for the European defense industry, including BAE, which is involved in Tempest, Rolls-Royce, MBDA, and Leonardo of Italy, to enter the Japanese market, which has been dominated by US companies. Japan's defense industry, which has been pushed by increased imports of US-made weapons over the last few years, could also have the opportunity to export and acquire European equipment technology.
Italy and Sweden have also signed the Tempest development plan, but it is not clear at this time how the two countries will be involved in the new project launched by Japan and the UK.
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