Chances of partner joining UK-Italian-Japanese fighter jet project diminishing, BAE executive says

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WARTON, England (Reuters) -The likelihood of a new country joining the British, Italian and Japanese project to develop a fighter jet is diminishing, said a BAE Systems executive, amid long-held speculation Saudi Arabia could become a fourth partner.

“To be part of the core programme today in the same way as Japan, Italy and the UK, because of the pace we’ve achieved, and where we are today becomes quite challenging now,” Herman Claesen, managing director of BAE’s Future Combat Air System business told reporters on Tuesday.

“The likelihood is diminishing all the time.”

The British-Italian-Japanese project, called Global Combat Air Programme, was announced in 2022 before a joint venture was formally launched in June 2025, with the aim of producing a next-generation stealth aircraft by 2035.

Claesen said it was possible for a new partner to join, but it would be a decision for the three governments, and they would need to consider the potential delays that could come from any change to their existing agreement.

The advantage of a new partner would be to expand the market for the aircraft, but Claesen said he was confident there would be sufficient demand.

“There is, I guess, a bit of a queue forming of various nations who want to talk to the three governments,” he said.

A rival Franco-German project to build a new fighter jet has made slower progress, plagued by delays and infighting over workshare and intellectual property rights.

GCAP is being led by BAE in Britain, Leonardo in Italy and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.

Known as Tempest in Britain, a concept model of the aircraft was on display in Warton. BAE said it would be three to four metres (10 to 13 feet) longer than the Typhoon military jet and designed to fly a longer range.

(Reporting by Sarah YoungEditing by Rod Nickel)