Saudi Arabia Pushes to Join Fighter Jet Project with UK, Italy and Japan
Saudi Arabia is pushing the UK, Japan and Italy to allow it to become a full partner in the landmark next-generation fighter jet project that the three countries signed in December.
The request, confirmed by five senior officials in London, Tokyo and Rome, has already created strains within the tri-national alliance. While the UK and Italy are open to the idea of Saudi membership, Japan is firmly opposed and has made its position clear to the other two.
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which seeks to deliver a highly advanced and exportable combat aircraft by 2035, was a significant advance for all three signatories, particularly for Japan which had historically restricted defence exports and never collaborated on a programme of this scale and complexity.
Efforts by Saudi Arabia to join GCAP and expand the programme into a four-nation project have intensified significantly in recent weeks, according to officials in London and Tokyo. These efforts have included a direct request to the government of Japan in July, when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.
The Saudi involvement would also involve a potentially significant financial contribution to a project whose costs are estimated in the tens of billions of dollars, said people briefed on the matter. While talks remained at an early stage, the Saudi proposal could include an offer to contribute engineering expertise at various stages of the project, they said.