LONDON - An official hinted at the DSEI arms trade show in London that Japan may become the next partner country in the British-led three-nation next-generation fighter jet program.

Britain, Sweden, and Italy are jointly developing cutting-edge technologies to support future combat air systems efforts. By 2035, FCAS will eventually lead to a core fighter jet and a large number of new features to accompany it.

Since 2020, Japan has been cooperating on the elements of the plan, but at the biennial DSEI meeting in London, military and industrial officials hinted that this relationship may develop further in the next few years.

British project director Johnny Moreton said that the project, also known as Tempest, is separate from the FCAS project in France, Germany and Spain, and is working with Japan on this technical plan.

"We have been negotiating, dialogue, and some pilot projects-there is nothing too complicated at the moment," he said during a panel discussion on the advantages of the program through the League of Nations at a meeting on Wednesday.

In July, the Japanese government announced that the two countries had pledged to jointly develop new engine technologies that could inform the London-led FCAS program and Tokyo’s FX efforts to build a new sixth-generation fighter jet.

"We are currently conducting a joint engine feasibility study with Japan, which is very exciting," Morton said. "Their foreign exchange plans are very similar to our time frame, which is 2035; this threat is very similar to our anticipated threat, and as far as industrial countries are concerned, it is clear that they are at the top of the list just like us."

He pointed out that Britain and Japan may expand their partnership from engine technology to electronic warfare and radar capabilities. However, he added that these are "still at a very small stage at this point."

Last year, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the FCAS project, with the participation of their national industrial partners BAE Systems, Saab and Leonardo.

Although Morton emphasized during the panel discussion that the cooperation between the British military and Japan is an "exploratory partnership", a static display of a possible FCAS cockpit just a few feet away from the podium on the DSEI exhibition floor is above it Four national flags are clearly flying.

Morton said that the close cooperation between the UK and Japan on FCAS-related technologies, even if it is still unofficial, shows that "where we see opportunities around the world, we are ready to embrace it."

Although FCAS allies and their industry teams are working together to develop next-generation technologies, the concept of "freedom of modification"—each country has the ability to make its own changes to future aircraft and systems—is still crucial.

"We hope to be able to upgrade, advance [and] develop our capabilities ourselves, and as a sovereign nation in a partnership, each partner has this goal," Morton said.

Guglielmo Maviglia, senior vice president of Leonardo's Tempest program, said that Japan's participation is a clear example of this dynamic.

"I think it is wrong to try to tie all these [efforts] tightly into a single partnership anyway," he said in the group. "Therefore, the flexibility to allow other partners to join is very important, and Japan provided us with the first test."

On July 29, the British Ministry of Defence announced a 250 million pounds (346 million US dollars) contract to initiate the FCAS concept and evaluation phase with its "Team Tempest" partner. The government stated that the country plans to spend approximately £2 billion on the program in the next four years. The contract was awarded to a British industrial team led by BAE Systems, which includes Rolls-Royce and the British branches of Leonardo and MBDA.

The FCAS team will continue this phase in the next few years, planning to define and start FCAS design, mature system technology, investment in skilled labor, and ensuring the required digital and physical infrastructure before 2024.

"The purpose of this phase is to review the concept [and] evaluate the plan," Morton said. "Then, at the end of 24, go to our government-in this case, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and possibly Japan-and say:'This is the plan. This is what we can provide. This is the timeline And ability. We will move on from there."

Vivienne Machi is a journalist based in Stuttgart, Germany, and contributes to the European coverage of Defence News. She has previously reported for National Defense Magazine, National Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy, and Dayton Daily News. She was named the best young defense journalist at the 2020 National Defense Media Awards.