In a bridge between Europe and Asia, Japan, Britain, and Italy are combining their next-generation jet fighter projects. This is the first significant industrial defence partnership outside of the United States for Japan since World War Two.
The conclusion of months of negotiations, as reported by Reuters in July, aims to combine the British-led Future Combat Air System, known as Tempest, with Japan’s F-X in a project called the Global Combat Air Programme to put an advanced front-line fighter and pack of drones and sensors into operation by 2035. (GCAP).
The agreement may help Japan counter the expanding military might of its larger neighbour and give Britain a bigger security role in a region that is a key driver of global economic growth, especially in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing Chinese military activity around Japan and Taiwan.
The three countries said in a joint statement on Friday that they were ‘committed to defending the rules-based, free and open international order, which is more crucial than ever at a time when these principles are disputed, and threats and aggression are escalating.’
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