Thread by @GarethJennings3

As heralded, #UK, #Italy, and #Japan have merged their #Tempest and F-X future fighter projects into the Global Combat Air Programme (#GCAP). With a @JanesINTEL story inbound, a short thread of some key points... 1/7

While the UK led Tempest and Japan drove F-X, the GCAP will have no lead nation or company. Programme will be a 'partnership of equals', with @BAESystemsAir heading up development on behalf of the UK, @Leonardo_live for Italy, and @MHI_Group for Japan. 2/7

For the UK, #FCAS will continue to address future requirements that include a manned fighter, and other capabilities in air domain. The manned fighter to be developed under GCAP will continue to be named #Tempest, while Japan has not said if its F-X will still become the F-3. 3/7

GCAP timelines remain as per Tempest and F-X, which were both aiming for a 2035 in-service date. Ahead of development phase in 2024, cost-sharing based on a joint assessment of costs and national budgets to be agreed. Tempest demonstrator still set to fly by 2027. 4/7

In bringing projects together, the partners already have well aligned requirements. “We wouldn’t be embarking on it if we didn’t think we would get the capability we wanted.” - UK. (the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed design changes in images compared to recent model).

Alongside development of the GCAP core future combat aircraft with Italy and Japan, UK will independently assess its needs on any additional capabilities, such as weapons and ‘loyal wingmen’. 5/7

The GCAP partnership is open to new international members, but while the UK-led FCAS also involved #Sweden that nation was not mentioned in the latest announcement. Saab CEO recently noted Sweden's FCAS participation is "in hibernation". 6/7

UK government will be pleased that what was initially a European project with Italy and Sweden, is now a global one with Japan. See #GlobalBritain.
Also, with Japan onboard, GCAP has broken narrative that Europe cannot sustain two next-gen fighter projects. 7/7