Japan, UK and Italy Will Build Fighter Jet

Japan, Britain and Italy are partnering to make a new fighter jet. It will be Japan’s first industrial military project with a country other than the US since World War Two. 

The countries want to make an advanced fighter aircraft by 2035. It will combine the Future Combat Air System project started by the UK and Japan’s F-X project. The three countries call the new project Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).

Japan will also increase spending on its military to 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP). The country is worried about security in its region.

The prime minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, says that his country has to keep up with defense technology. He also says that the project will provide many new jobs.

BAE Systems PLC from the UK, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from Japan, and Leonardo from Italy will work together to design the aircraft. The countries want a fighter with AI and cyber warfare capabilities.

The countries will soon decide where most of the development will take place.

Other countries could join the project, too. The new fighter jet will be compatible with the F-35 and other NATO airplanes.

Vocabulary

• Partner – to join/work with another person or organization in a business activity
• Fighter jet – an airplane with a powerful “jet” engine for combat/war
• Industrial – in or related to industry; manufacturing; commercial; trade; production
• Military – armed forces; army; agency or department of a government for combat/war
• Other than – besides; with the exception of; except for; in addition to
• Advanced – modern and well developed; high-level; state of the art; new
• Combine – bring together; merge; in total; unite
• GDP (gross domestic product) – the total of all value created in an economy; the measure of economic output of a country
• Region – a large area of the Earth; an area of land with similar qualities/characteristics
• Prime minister – the head or leader of an elected government of a country
• Keep up – go at same speed as others; continue to do something; match; challenge
• Defense – the ability to protect against attack; resistance against attack; protection; guarding; the act of defending
• Artificial intelligence (AI) – human intelligence in a machine. See more here.
• Cyber warfare – war conducted in and from computers and computer networks; using the internet to attack a country’s computers
• Capability – the ability to do something; capacity; ability; skill; potential
• Decide – to choose something; make a choice from many different options; choose; select
• Development – to work on something to make it grow; process of building
• Compatible – able to exist or work with something else; work well together; to function with other things without problems
• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) – an organization of a group of countries that agree to protect/defend each other

Quiz

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Original Story

www.reuters.com

Japan, Britain and Italy to build jet fighter together

Japan, Britain and Italy are merging their next-generation jet fighter projects in a ground-breaking partnership spanning Europe and Asia that is Japan’s first major industrial defence collaboration beyond the United States since World War Two.

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