U.K. Joins in the Development of the Next Fighter Aircraft in Japan----Possible to Share Some Components with Tempest?

2021/12/19 05:00

Yomiuri Shimbun reported British participation in the development of F-3, the new generation fighter jet project for Japan.

The Japanese government is in the process of finalizing a plan to involve the U.K. in the development of the next fighter jet, which will replace the Air Self-Defense Force's F-2 fighter jet. The government has already decided to jointly develop the engine part of the aircraft with the U.K., and the joint development of the airframe part, which is related to the engine, will reduce the development cost, which is expected to be several trillion yen.

A number of government officials have revealed the plan. The government hopes to finalize the framework for cooperation by next March. The UK's participation in the development is the first of its kind.

The U.K. will participate in the development of the air intakes for the jet engines and the parts near the exhaust ports. The British will participate in the development of the parts near the air intakes and exhaust ports for the jet engines, which are directly related to the performance of the fighter, such as thrust, and the Ministry of Defense decided that it would be more rational to develop them together with the engines. These parts are also important because they are closely related to the stealth performance and overall shape of the aircraft.

The government aims to deploy the successor aircraft around 2035, when the F-2s will retire. Since the U.K. is working on the research and development of the next fighter jet, the Tempest, with the aim of introducing it around the same time, it can be expected that efficiency will be improved in common areas of development. The U.K. is also proactive in disclosing information to Japan, and has the advantage of having less secret information and less restrictions on aircraft upgrades after deployment.

In order to foster domestic industry and ensure freedom of modification, the Japanese government has announced that the development of the next fighter jet will be "Japan-led" as a whole, and eight Japanese companies will promote joint development. Since Japan and the U.S. will jointly respond to emergencies, the aircraft will need to be highly interoperable with the U.S. military, so the government is planning to receive technical support from U.S. companies for the systems of the aircraft.