LONDON - A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. factory is expected to be the Japan center for the development and assembly of the next-generation fighter jet to be produced by Japan, Britain and Italy, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The three members of the trilateral Global Combat Air Program are discussing the roles each will play in the design and manufacture of the jet, with Britain to set up its center in Warton and Italy in Turin, according to the sources.
The Japanese center will be set up at Mitsubishi Heavy's Komaki South plant in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, by the end of this year, the sources said, adding that British engineers are already working on the aircraft's design at the plant.
Mitsubishi Heavy has positioned the next-generation fighter jet development as a core business after it discontinued the development of Japan's first-ever domestic passenger jet, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet.
The three countries agreed to launch the program in 2022 to start deploying the fighter jet in 2035, amid an increasingly tense global security environment. Canada's participation as the first observer in the program was announced Tuesday, while some other nations including Germany and Australia have expressed an interest to join.
The aircraft is set to feature stealth technology, a powerful radar to collect abundant data and an artificial intelligence-driven data analysis capability.
Design and development will be handled by Edgewing, a joint venture established by Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd., Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Leonardo.
Japan plans to replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-2 fighter, which is scheduled to begin being phased out around 2035, with the next-generation jet.
