The United Kingdom is expected to be chosen as the home of the next-generation fighter program with Japan and Italy, according to four Japanese sources. London would be at the forefront of a partnership that could expand to include other nations.
The three countries established the Global Combat Air Program in December after the United Kingdom and Japan agreed to combine their collaborative efforts to produce an advanced aircraft by the middle of the next decade.
Japan and the United Kingdom will dominate the design and manufacturing of the project. London’s deeper and more recent experience in developing fighter jets will likely give it a leading role in organizing the program, said three of the sources, who have knowledge of the internal discussions.
“The headquarters will be in the UK, but for the sake of balance, someone from Japan could head it,” said one of the sources, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
“Discussion regarding the headquarters is ongoing and we cannot comment on the location,” Japan’s defense procurement agency said in an email. A development framework for hunting would be established in the next fiscal year, he added.
“No final decision has been made on locations and we will not comment on speculation,” said a UK Ministry of Defense spokesperson.
Officials at the Italian Defense Ministry were not available for comment.
In March, Reuters reported that Italy was expected to pay for around a fifth of the total development cost, information that the country’s government labeled as “speculative”.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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