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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Jasper Jolly

Saudis ask to join UK, Italy and Japan’s joint air combat programme

Visitor sits in model of the Tempest fighter jet at an air show.
A model of the Tempest fighter jet, which is hoped to be manufactured by 2035. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia has asked the UK, Japan and Italy to be made a full partner in their joint effort to build the next generation of fighter jets, in a move backed by the British government.

Companies from the UK, Japan and Italy are working together to build a new fighter jet and other systems such as drones under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), also known as Tempest. The programme aims to deliver the first planes by 2035, a tight turnaround.

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