Japan, the UK and Italy will develop a next-generation stealth fighter

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Japan

announced on Friday a joint project with the

and

to develop a next-generation stealth fighter, an aircraft that is expected to be operational by 2035 and marks the first collaboration of its kind between

and other countries.

The three countries are based on their "longstanding defense relations" to launch this initiative with which they aspire to "accelerate their advanced military capabilities and their technological advantages," according to their governments in a joint statement published this Friday.

The project,

(GCAP, or Global Air Combat Program), hopes to contribute "to the maintenance of an international order based on the rules" at a time when "these principles are contested, and when threats are increasing and the aggressions".

Tokyo, London and Rome hope that the project will bring "economic and industrial benefits", generate jobs in the three countries and "attract investment in research and development" in the fields of digital design and advanced manufacturing processes, as highlighted in the note. .

The collaboration program has been designed with other allies of the three countries in mind as well, and in particular the

,

and "other Indo-Pacific and global partners."

Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy "have ambitions for these aircraft to be the centerpiece of an air combat system that will work across multiple domains," they noted.

This is the first project of this type undertaken by Japan with allies other than the United States, a country that issued another joint statement on Thursday supporting the project and signaling the willingness of Tokyo and Washington to develop

as a complement to future fighters, without giving further details.

The three countries participating in the project hope to have the new stealth fighters operational by 2035, and the main companies involved in the project are Mitsubishi Heavy on the Japanese side and BAE Systems on the British side, according to the Japanese Executive.

Tokyo plans to get 100 of the new models to replace the F-2 fighters used by its Self-Defense Forces (Army), while London and Paris would jointly have about 240 of the planes as successors to their

, according to sources in the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

Japan, however, will be forced to review its strict limitations on the export of defensive equipment to participate in the joint project, something that is expected to be included in the next update of its National Defense Strategy.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• Ministry of Defence

• United Kingdom

• Italy

• Japan