Opinion: East meets West on Tempest
A rendering of the proposed Team Tempest Future Combat Air System concept. (Image: UK MoD Crown Copyright)
The announcement that Japan will join Italy and the UK in developing the Future Combat Air System indicates a new era of industry cooperation.
On 9 December, a new trilateral kid on the block made waves with the announcement that the UK-led Tempest Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project would be joined with Japan’s F-3 future fighter effort to create a new Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
GCAP is a massive step for the next generation of air power and marks a significant milestone for Japan, working with a partner other than the US on a major equipment project for the first time. For anyone with even a passing interest in the future of air power, the new triumvirate is a reason to be
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