Excerpt:

>TOKYO -- The next-generation fighter jet planned by Japan, the U.K. and Italy may be developed through a joint venture and built in more than one country, according to officials at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), one of the prime contractors for the program.

>Sixth-generation fighters are expected to perform a central role in network-centric warfare, which aims to integrate the assets of the various military branches to devise the most efficient attack.

>The three countries are in broad agreement on the capabilities they want the new aircraft to have, but they still have to work out the program's details, such as the project timeline and where to manufacture components.

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>BAE Systems and Leonardo have experience developing and marketing fighter jets for the global market. Mitsubishi Heavy, which developed the F-2 fighter, has only produced equipment for the Japanese market and is looking to its European partners for international expertise.

>The common language of the project will be English, and already many British and Italians have visited MHI's development office in the central Japanese city of Nagoya to discuss details.

>BAE Systems said, "Discussions are ongoing and no decisions [regarding a joint venture or other matters] have been made," in a written response to a request for comment.

>Competition in the market for next-generation fighters is expected to be intense. France, Germany and Spain, for instance, last month agreed to move forward with development of a fighter jet to replace the French Rafale, and German and Spanish Eurofighters, beginning in 2040.

Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa and Mitsuru Obe, Nikkei, 29 December 2022.