Proactive Investors - Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LON:RR.) and BAE Systems (LON:BAES) will be involved in developing the next-generation fighter jets with Italy and Japan, Rishi Sunak has announced, in a project to produce the successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The prime minister said the Tempest jet partnership will ensure the UK and its allies are “outpacing and outmanoeuvring those who seek to do us harm”.
The deal aims to put an advanced front-line fighter into operation by 2035 by combining the British-led Future Combat Air System project with Japan's F-X programme in a venture called the Global Combat Air Programme, the three countries said in a statement on Friday.
BAE Systems, Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Italy's Leonardo will lead the design of the aircraft, which will have advanced digital capabilities in AI and cyber warfare, according to Japan's Ministry of Defence.
European missile maker MBDA will also join the project, along with avionics manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric Corp, while Rolls-Royce will work on the engine along with IHI Corp and Avio Aero.
Sunak will launch the first major phase of the programme during a visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Friday.
Before the visit, he said: “The security of the United Kingdom, both today and for future generations, will always be of paramount importance to this government."
"That’s why we need to stay at the cutting edge of advancements in defence technology – outpacing and outmanoeuvring those who seek to do us harm."
“The international partnership we have announced today with Italy and Japan aims to do just that, underlining that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible."
Roll-Royce development chief Alex Zino said work to jointly design, build and test an engine demonstrator, which it announced last December, is "progressing well and on track to deliver".
The Unite union welcomed the partnership, with the 'Team Tempest' project employing around 2,500 people already in the UK, including wider industry, while more than 580 organisations are contracted across the UK, including 91 SMEs and 26 academic institutions.
Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy said: “The Tempest fighter aircraft will not only play a key role in defending our nation but also will boost the UK economy by supporting tens of thousands of aerospace jobs across the UK at BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, MBDA and throughout these companies supply chains.”