Japan, UK and Italy Formally Announce Joint Development of a Next-Generation Fighter

The Government of Japan today announced the joint development of the country’s next-generation fighter together with partners in the U.K. and Italy.

In recent years, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed cutting-edge technologies for fighter through diverse research initiatives, including the “X-2,” an advanced technology demonstrator jet. Since October 2020, when a contract was concluded with the Ministry of Defense on development of the future fighter aircraft (F-X), MHI has conducted a conceptual design and other development-related work. Simultaneously, MHI has been looking into the feasibility of collaboration with the U.K. and Italian defense industries under the leadership of the governments of the three nations.

Following the formal announcement of the joint development by the three nations’ governments, the development program will now go forward concurrently in Japan, the U.K. and Italy. MHI will work closely with the government authorities and corporate partners from all three nations, in order to develop the next-generation fighter, pooling our respective cutting-edge technologies and expertise.

This international collaborative 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. Through its development of the next-generation fighter, MHI will strengthen the country’s defense industrial base as a whole and continue making significant contributions to Japan’s national security.