Status: 09.12.2022 1:13 p.m
Great Britain, Japan and Italy want to jointly develop a new combat aircraft. The three G7 countries are thus strengthening their military cooperation.
The three G7 countries Italy, Great Britain and Japan have agreed on a joint armaments project: the nations want to jointly develop a new fighter jet by 2035. As the British government announced in London, the G7 partners want to adapt and react to future security threats with this “unprecedented international aerospace coalition”.
The aim is a decisive change in air power and defense capability through a new generation of fighter jets. The aircraft will be compatible with the machines of other NATO partners and will eventually replace the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
Japan plans to double military spending
The alliance with Italy and Japan makes it clear that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are closely linked, said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He wanted to officially start the first phase of the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) project when he visited Coningsby Air Force Base in eastern England. A “capability network” with unmanned aircraft, advanced sensors, state-of-the-art weapons and innovative data systems is then planned.
The joint agreement also confirms Japan’s growing defense ambitions: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently announced that defense spending should be more than doubled by 2027. This was Tokyo’s reaction to the rearmament of China and North Korea.
Creation of highly qualified jobs
The three G7 countries want to share the development costs, which are estimated at more than ten billion dollars according to the “Financial Times”. “By working together in a spirit of equal partnership, we share the costs and benefits of this investment in our people and technology,” they said in a joint statement. This should also create highly qualified jobs in the three countries.
Germany and France only recently agreed on a joint armaments project. With the FCAS, an air combat system worth billions is to be developed.