Britain, Italy and Japan awarded the deal as London committed 8.6 billion pounds over four years to the Global Combat Air Programme and pushed the tri-national fighter project into its next development phase.
Britain, Italy and Japan have awarded a 4.6 billion-pound ($6.14 billion) contract to Edgewing to build the new Global Combat Air Programme fighter jet, advancing the tri-national project into its next phase of development. The award followed Britain's decision this week to commit 8.6 billion pounds over four years to GCAP after months of delays tied to pressure on its military budget. Edgewing is jointly owned by BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement, while BAE, Leonardo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are developing the sixth-generation stealth fighter, which the three countries want ready by 2035. The programme, known as Tempest in the UK, is intended to spread the tens of billions of dollars of development costs across the partner nations and support future export sales. The contract also comes after the collapse in June of a rival Franco-German fighter effort, a shift that could increase the chances of other countries seeking to join GCAP. Italy's defence minister has said widening participation would help share costs, and Leonardo has said Germany would be a particularly valid partner, while Saudi Arabia and Canada have also looked at the programme.