Sources said on Saturday that a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facility will serve as the Japanese hub for developing and assembling the next‑generation fighter jet to be co‑produced by Japan, Britain and Italy.
The three nations participating in the Global Combat Air Programme are coordinating their respective roles in the aircraft’s design and production, with the UK establishing its centre in Warton and Italy setting up its hub in Turin, the sources added.
The Japanese facility will be located at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Komaki South plant in Aichi Prefecture by the end of this year, the sources indicated, noting that British engineers are already engaged in the aircraft’s design work there.
Mitsubishi Heavy has made the next‑generation fighter‑jet programme a core business priority following the discontinuation of its Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Japan’s first domestic passenger aircraft.
The three nations launched the programme in 2022 with the aim of beginning deployments in 2035, responding to a more confrontational global security landscape. Canada was announced as the programme’s first observer on Tuesday, and other countries such as Germany and Australia have indicated interest in joining.
