Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the success of the sixth generation fighter program between the UK, Japan and Italy.

Since we launched the Concept and Assessment phase of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme in 2021, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been working with industry partners to define and design the capability we require and invest in the skills and infrastructure needed to deliver it. MOD has already invested over £1 billion in developing the skills and technologies needed to deliver at pace and our Team Tempest industry partners have also invested hundreds of millions more. Industry partners are using transformative technologies and processes such as additive manufacturing and digital design and testing to drastically speed up the development process while enhancing product quality. BAE Systems' Factory of the Future in Lancashire is demonstrating integrated and agile manufacturing capabilities including advanced 3D printing and autonomous robotics.

On 9 December 2022 the Prime Minister announced our partnership with Italy and Japan, known as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), to jointly develop the core aircraft. we will now focus on activities to mature the programme in preparation for the main development phase, scheduled for 2025. Over the next few years, substantial joint work will be undertaken to bring together the UK/Italy’s pre-existing FCAS collaboration and Japan’s FX programme into a single new venture.