LONDON - Japan, Britain, Italy and Canada on Tuesday announced Canada's participation as the first observer in the Global Combat Air Program, the trilateral initiative to develop a next-generation fighter jet.
The announcement came after a four-way meeting in London attended by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty.
"Observer status will provide Canada with enhanced insight into GCAP and an opportunity to deepen its understanding of the program's governance, capabilities and industrial framework, as well as the related security requirements and wider partnering opportunities," a quadrilateral joint statement said.
For Japan, Britain and Italy, "Canada's involvement will also support greater alignment of strategic priorities and deepen mutual understanding of future combat air ambitions, thereby strengthening global security," the statement said.
Canada will not join the development effort or provide funding at this stage.
Canada could participate in component manufacturing, though full development participation is not under consideration.
Japan, Britain and Italy also hope that broader international participation will expand future export markets and help cover development costs.
Several other countries have expressed interest in the program, including Germany, whose previous effort to jointly develop a next-generation fighter with countries such as France was abandoned, as well as Australia, India and Saudi Arabia.
The three partners said they will continue discussions with interested countries on their possible involvement.
Japan, Britain and Italy agreed to launch the trilateral program in December 2022.
While Japan has not disclosed the program's total projected cost, the GCAP International Government Organization and Edgewing, the joint venture responsible for designing and developing the aircraft, have signed contracts worth more than 1 trillion yen ($6.2 billion) through the end of 2027.
Japan and Canada already have a bilateral defense equipment and technology transfer agreement establishing procedures for protecting classified information and managing defense exports.
