As Japan clamours for new fighter jets, UK-Italy GCAP delays test Tokyo's patience
At an airbase outside Tokyo, engineers inspect the ageing F-2 fighters that have patrolled the Japanese skies for decades.
But with China's newest stealth jets roaming ever closer, and the promised future of air defence still years away,
Japan is growing restless.
Its partnership with
Britain and
Italy to build a next-generation fighter has hit turbulence – and Tokyo may no longer be willing to wait.
The sixth-generation fighter, part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), is slated to enter service with all three nations by 2035. But development is reportedly lagging, with the first demonstrator flight now delayed until 2027 – a setback that has alarmed Japanese officials and defence analysts.
An artist's impression of the GCAP fighter released in 2022. Photo: UK Prime Minister's Office / AFP
Unlike the UK and Italy, which can continue to rely on the
Eurofighter Typhoon well into the 2040s, Japan faces a far more immediate need to modernise its fleet, according to experts.
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