Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom have unveiled a new conceptual design of the next-generation fighter jet they plan to develop together, amid growing speculation that a new British defense review could impact the future of the multibillion-dollar project.
A full-scale model of the new design was jointly showcased Monday by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Italy’s Leonardo and Britain’s BAE Systems — the project’s lead system integrators — at the Farnborough International Airshow near London.
While unlikely to be the final design, the refined concept features major changes in the wing and aft fuselage areas, ostensibly meant to improve the aerodynamics of the future twin-engine, sixth-generation fighter.
Aerospace experts said the changes, particularly a larger, delta-shaped wing, point to greater emphasis being placed on range, speed and payload over traditional dogfighting agility as the partner nations devise a platform meant to be “the centerpiece of a wider combat air system that will function across multiple domains.”
“We’ll continue to test and evolve the design, as we move closer toward the next phase of the program,” Herman Claesen, BAE Systems’ managing director for Future Combat Air Systems, said in a joint statement. The companies will employ a range of digital tools and techniques, including computer-based modeling and virtual reality, to evolve the aircraft’s design.
The completion of the conceptual design phase will allow the partner nations to move to the next stages of the program from next year — the detailed design and development phases — which are expected to last five years and lead to the maiden flight of the first test aircraft from around 2030.
The lead companies, which are expected to set up several industrial entities from the year-end to deliver the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), have been working closely together over the past 18 months to understand and align the aircraft’s design to the requirements being set by partner governments.
The new jet, intended to replace aging Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighters, as well as British and Italian Eurofighters, is slated to be ready for export and deployment by 2035 — an ambitious goal, given the challenges of developing such an advanced platform, particularly across international borders.
The partners say the aircraft will be “one of the world’s most advanced, interoperable, adaptable and connected fighter jets in service,” featuring an intelligent weapons system, a software-driven interactive cockpit, integrated sensors and a powerful next-generation radar capable of providing 10,000 times more data than current systems.
Expected to employ “tens of thousands of skilled people” across the three nations, the GCAP defense-industrial partnership marks the first time that Japan is cooperating with countries other than the United States to meet a major defense requirement.
Hitoshi Shiraishi, senior GCAP fellow at MHI, said he hopes the project, with the broad participation of Japan’s defense companies, “will foster innovation in the country’s industrial sector such as digital transformation, as well as the development of human resources in the field of science and technology.”
That said, the program has made headlines recently for a different reason.
British media have raised concerns that the project could be axed if the new Labour government’s recently launched Strategic Defense Review — expected next year — concludes that the program, which comes at a time of economic downturn in Britain, is not the best way to deter Russian aggression.
Speaking to the reporters, Luke Pollard, the country’s new armed forces minister, called the project "really important," but said it would not be right for him to prejudge the outcome of the review — a remark interpreted by some as suggesting it could be vulnerable to cuts.
Experts, however, say there is “no hard evidence” that London could drop out. Instead, the focus will likely be on making sure the project can develop and maintain an “affordable” next-generation air capability.
“The timeline for delivery of GCAP is tight already, and the U.K. would be unwise to sacrifice modernization of air platforms for the sake of short-term gains,” said Philip Shetler-Jones, an international security expert at the Royal United Services Institute think tank.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara is currently visiting Britain, where he is set to meet his Italian counterparts to reaffirm the three-way partnership and Japan’s commitment to the program.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.