Japan and the UK will dominate design and manufacturing on the project
Japan, England and Italy plan to choose England as the headquarters for their next generation fighter aircraft program . In December, the three countries formed the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP).
The creation of GCAP comes after Britain and Japan agreed to combine their combat efforts in a collaboration aimed at fielding advanced aircraft by the middle of the next decade. Japan and the UK will dominate design and manufacturing on the project. Britain’s greater experience in fighter jet development will likely give it a leading role in managing the program.
“The head office will be in the UK, but for balance, someone from Japan could lead it,” said one of the sources, all of whom asked not to be named.
Japan’s defense procurement agency said discussions regarding the base were ongoing. They declined to say the location of the base. The agency said a development framework for the fighter would be established in the next fiscal year.
“No final decision has been made regarding the location and we will not comment on speculation,” a British Ministry of Defense spokesman said.
Officials at Italy’s defense ministry could not be reached for comment. In March, Reuters reported that Italy would pay about a fifth of the total construction costs, but the country’s government considered that speculative.
The head of Italy’s defense and aerospace group, Leonardo, said Saudi Arabia would not be a core partner in the project. GCAP could involve the Saudis in a more limited role. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has also shown its interest in joining. Director of Future Combat Air at the British Ministry of Defence, Richard Berthon, said there had been discussions about these possibilities with Saudi Arabia.
British major BAE Systems PLC will collaborate with Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. European missile maker MBDA will also join the project, along with avionics manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce PLC from England, IHI Corp (7013.T) from Japan, and Avio Aero from Italy will work on the engine.
Source : Republika
