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According to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it is for the three countries to ensure their security in the face of ” new threats in a tense geopolitical context. A prototype should see the light of day in 2035.
For British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the objective of the partnership forged between London, Rome and Tokyo must make it possible to ” stay at the forefront of advances in defense technology, outmaneuver and outsmart those who want to harm us », « by showing that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is indivisible ». « This means that we can ensure the security of our country in the face of new threats “, he insisted from a base of the Royal Air Force, in the northeast of England.
Details on the cost of the project, under a program called GCAP (Global Combat Air Program), have not yet been finalized, said an official from the Japanese Ministry of Defense. Production is expected to start around 2030 or 2031 for a prototype by 2035.
This collaboration between the three countries must take advantage of the research already launched in advanced technologies in air combat such as unmanned aircraft. The future combat aircraft is seen as a successor to the Japanese Mitsubishi F-2, designed with the American Lockheed Martin and put into service in 2000. Its development should in particular integrate the advances of the Tempest combat aircraft project, carried by the United Kingdom, and of which a pre-prototype is announced ” in the next five years ».
According to information from the Japanese economic daily Nikkei, the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the British BAE Systems and the Italian Leonardo should be at the center of the project. ” As it is crucial to defend our democracy, our economy and our security and to protect regional stability, we need strong defense and security partnerships, underpinned and reinforced by a credible deterrent “, said the three partners in a press release.
Diversify partnerships
Japan, whose defense strategy is heavily dependent on its American ally, is seeking to drastically increase its capabilities in this area to deal with the growing threats it feels on its borders, from North Korea to China, passing by Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
« In a tense context in the Indo-Pacific, Japan wants to increase partnerships. It is very similar to Australia and the United Kingdom. This is therefore a concretization of a desire to bring together an important partner in Europe “, observes Guibourg Delamotte, lecturer in political science in the Japanese studies department of Inalco, interviewed by RFI. But there is no question of ousting the United States. ” The alliance is not questioned, continues Guibourg Delamotte. It remains fundamental for Japan and is one of the elements that bring the United Kingdom closer to Japan. »
Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy say they have designed the GCAP program as a basis for cooperation with other countries, insisting in their press release on its ” future interoperability with their allies, including the United States and NATO. Tokyo and Washington are discussing together ” autonomous systems which could be complementary to the Japanese combat aircraft project and agreed to ” start concrete cooperation in the course of next year », allowing « joint responses to future threats in the Asia-Pacific region, adds this press release.
An agreement has also been signed in recent weeks between the French Dassault and the European Airbus to relaunch the complex European combat aircraft project Scaf, launched in 2017 and supposed to replace the French Rafale combat aircraft by 2040 and German and Spanish Eurofighters.
(And with AFP)