Britain on joint production of fighter jets with Italy and Japan

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stressed the importance of the joint fighter jet programme with Italy and Japan. This statement came after speculation that his new government might refuse to participate in the scheme.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Reuters.

Starmer is on an official visit to Rome, where he met with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni. The talks focused on defence issues, including the two countries' participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), known in Britain as Tempest.

‘We agreed on the vital importance of our joint defence programmes, including GCAP, to our shared national security interests and respective defence industry capabilities, and we welcome the continued progress we are making,’ the leaders said in a joint statement after the meeting.

Amid speculation that Britain's involvement in GCAP could be suspended during the defence review, Starmer in July stressed the importance of the programme but did not guarantee continued participation.

On Monday, Starmer said the project had been mentioned ‘a few times today’ when he also met with the chairman of Leonardo (LDOF.MI), a defence firm involved in the GCAP fighter jet project that on Monday announced a £435 million ($574.50 million) investment in its UK business.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 17/09/2024