Following the news that the UK’s ‘Tempest’ and Japan’s ‘F-X’ projects are set to merge and pool resources;

James Marques, Aerospace, Defense and Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Spurred into a strategic rethink by Russia’s war on Ukraine, Japan has been looking to expand its defense cooperation beyond bilateral ties with the US and if this deal goes through, it will be a remarkable coup for a country that only began exporting its own weapons in 2014. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries seems set to pool resources with BAE Systems to produce a high-end next generation fighter jet, giving themselves a strong footing for both European and Asian export markets.

“So far, Japan and the UK have put $700 million and $2.4 billion into these projects respectively. Tempest also involves the European consortium MBDA and Italy’s Leonardo, further tying Japan into the European defense community. The export market for fixed-wing aircraft in the APAC region is expected to cumulatively value $419 billion over the next 10 years, and Europe’s market will be worth $311 billion. APAC has historically been dominated by US products while Europe tends to look inward for defense platforms, but the combined reputation of BAE and Mitsubishi promises a strong contender that will open a path for untapped Euro-Japanese cooperation potential.”