Japan's Prime Ministry Shinzo Abe and his British counterpart Boris Johnson arranged to collaborate on future fighter programs during a joint visit to the United Kingdom in 2013. They are expected sign a Memorandum of Cooperation that will enable them to exchange technologies and work together on future air and missile programmes. Japan also showed details about its next generation fighter. This marks the first domestically developed fighter craft by Japan in over 40 years.
According to the Nikkei newspaper, details of Japan's 6th generation fighter aircraft were revealed. It is expected to enter service by 2035. The aircraft will have stealth technology, which can optionally be manned, as well as high levels of manned/unmanned collaboration. The aircraft will have an extreme speed, likely in the hypersonic range. Hypersonic weapons cannot be tracked and cannot be returned once they are fired. The super-cruise engine will enable the aircraft to fly at unbelievable speeds.
The aircraft is expected to come with a bonded structure, which means that the structure of the aircraft is bonded together. This will reduce aircraft weight. This aircraft will have a shorter range and a lower weight. The aircraft will be likely equipped with Japanese-developed avionics engines and an engine developed by British companies.
A joint air-to–air missile program will be developed as part of the UK-Japan partnership. Japan has conducted extensive research in the area of component technologies, and they will likely work with British company BAE Systems. BAE Systems is a top aerospace and defense company. They are highly skilled in electronic warfare, so they will likely work on data technology to support military aircraft.
Japan plans to begin series production of the F-X program in 2031. The F-X program was first introduced in 1950s. The aircraft will cost approximately 5 trillion yen or $48 billion. Japan plans on building 90 more aircraft and will deploy the fighter in 2030.
The integrated bonded structure of the aircraft will be made up of composite materials. This will help to reduce the overall weight, and it will give the air force more flexibility in air bases and operations. The aircraft will also have heat shields. The aircraft will also have advanced digital capabilities, and advanced AI capabilities. The aircraft will have advanced networking systems as well, Gallium Nitride (GaN), and AESA Radars.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will create the F-X program. The company's stealth airplane X2 (which flew its first flight on April 2016) is an example how such a program can be built. It is a high tech aircraft featuring three-dimensional vectored thrust control, flyby optics and an advanced 3D vectored throug control system. It also represents the first experimental demonstration of stealth technology.
The UK-Japan partnership is expected to involve many other companies, including Rolls Royce and Northrup Grumman. These companies are experts in electronic warfare technology and air-to-air missile development, and will collaborate with the Japanese company to create a powerplant.