The UK and Japan have announced plans to develop a future fighter aircraft engine demonstrator, and sign a memorandum of cooperation to enable future development between the two nations.
Announced via a UK government press release on November 22, work on the engine demonstrator will commence in early 2022. The work will be led by industry from both nations, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI, and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the UK.
The UK is to initially invest £30m in planning, designs, and innovative manufacturing developments. A further £200m UK investment is expected towards a full-scale demonstrator power system. This will support hundreds of jobs, including many at Rolls-Royce’s Bristol facility.
Concept image of Tempest aircraft, highlighting the power source. Team tempest
Being a critical part of both nations future combat air systems the next four years will see the UK invest upwards of £2bn into its major national and international project to develop a future combat air system. Japan is aiming to develop its future fighter aircraft to a similar timescale to replace the F-2 fighter aircraft.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Designing a brand-new combat air system with a fighter aircraft at its heart is a highly ambitious project so working with like-minded nations is vital.”
International partnership remains at the core of the Uk’s approach to combat air. The two countries also agreed a ‘Memorandum of Cooperation’ which enables both nations to pursue joint technologies together. The UK and Japanese Defence Ministries will explore the feasibility of further sub-systems collaboration throughout 2022. In the UK, this work will be undertaken by the Team Tempest industry partners: BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce.
This announcement comes after the Uk’s defence command paper released in March this year to strengthen defence relationships in the Indo-Pacific region, and after HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing to Japan on her maiden operational deployment.
“Building on the technological and industrial strengths of our two countries, we will be exploring a wide-ranging partnership across next-generation combat air technologies,” Wallace concluded.
The RAF took delivery of its seventh Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1 on October 19, when the maritime patrol aircraft arrived at its home station of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, following an Atlantic crossing from Boeing’s facility near Seattle, Washington
The first Eurofighter Typhoon destined for the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) performed a test flight at BAE System’s Warton Aerodrome in Lancashire on May 9, while six more Boeing F-15QA fighters arrived the same day at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, en route to Qatar
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has flown the first prototype of the XSH-60L – a further development by the Japanese firm of the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare helicopter
An engine fault on the RAF’s Hawk T2 advanced jet trainers has caused substantial delays in fast-jet pilot training and has cost the UK MOD more than £50m, a report by an influential group of British MPs has found
Originally published in Key.Aero
Become a Premium Member
Subscribe to Key.Aero now to enjoy great benefits:
Access a wealth of aviation content in one place
Support world-class journalism
Join a community of passionate aviation enthusiasts
The Luftwaffe’s Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 73 (TaktLwG 73; Tactical Air Force Wing 73) ‘Steinhoff’ has rolled out special tail art on one of its EF-2000s to mark three milestones achieved by the unit and Germany’s wider Eurofighter force.