Japan and UK to develop new sixth-generation fighter, merging their F-X and Tempest programs

Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy are expected to soon sign agreements to merge their F-X and Tempest programs to jointly develop the next generation of air combat systems.

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According to the Japanese news site Asahi News, government sources told them that the signing of the formal agreement for the joint development of the future sixth-generation fighter will take place next month.

The aircraft will be developed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and British defense giant BAE Systems. Italy’s leading aerospace and defense company, Leonardo, will also participate.

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Japan’s IHI and Britain’s leading aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce will play a central role in engine development. Italy’s Avio Aero will also play a minor role in the development of the new-generation engine.

Neither Tempest nor F-X, something new

The merger of the two programs has been in the making for some time, and could be seen as a victory for British diplomacy. Japan could not complete the development of the F-X program on its own and first sought an industrial partner in the American Lockheed Martin. But that partnership did not prosper, and that is when the intervention of British industry in the project began to be explored.

The first approach was to involve Rolls Royce in the development of the F-X engine, whose research was already well advanced, led by the company IHI and its XF-91 prototype.

It was then decided to contract BAE Systems to supplant Lockheed Martin in its role as industrial partner. It was expected to assist with the design of the aircraft and make available its low-detectability technology and expertise.

The JAGUAR project followed, in which Japan and the United Kingdom signed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) to conduct cooperative research on a new next-generation sensor technology, to be applied on the Tempest and F-X.

But in London, rather than a good deal with Japan, they wanted to involve them in their own sixth-generation fighter program, the FCAS/Tempest, in which Italy is also a partner.

The next step towards merging the programs was that Tokyo and London decided to develop a common airframe for both aircraft. The aim was to reduce costs, because the requirements for the new fighter for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) are almost identical.

This path of rapprochement followed its logical course, which is the unification of efforts under a single program. Everything indicates that an equal participation between the United Kingdom and Japan would be sought, with Italy being the minority partner.