On December 26, Japan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed new progress in the development of its future sixth-generation fighter following the 11th meeting of the Next-Generation Fighter System Development Promotion Committee, chaired by Vice Minister of Defense Miyazaki Masahisa. During the meeting, officials reviewed the draft budget for Fiscal Year 2026, assessing the current status of the program as well as progress related to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that will operate in an integrated manner with the future stealth aircraft being developed jointly with the United Kingdom and Italy.
According to information released by Tokyo, the meeting reaffirmed that the program continues to advance as planned, both technologically and institutionally. In particular, ongoing work on the development of the next-generation air combat system was reviewed, which is not limited solely to a crewed combat aircraft but instead follows a system-of-systems approach, integrating unmanned platforms, distributed sensors, and advanced command-and-control capabilities.
One of the highlighted points was the review of the status of the accompanying drones, commonly referred to as Loyal Wingman, which are designed to operate in close coordination with the future fighter. As reported, the Ministry of Defense also analyzed the budget planned for these unmanned platforms in Fiscal Year 2026, as well as the lines of work currently under evaluation to define their operational role.
At this point, it should be noted that the program’s progress takes place within the framework of trilateral cooperation between Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy, which are jointly working on the development of the future sixth-generation fighter under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). In this regard, Japanese authorities reiterated that the objective remains to achieve the entry into service of the first aircraft in 2035, for which the three countries maintain close coordination at both the industrial and governmental levels.
On the other hand, the project is already said to have a possible official designation within Japan, known as F-3 “Reppu”, a name revealed months ago that reinforces the program’s national identity within the Air Self-Defense Force. While the designation has not yet been formally finalized across all areas—although many speculate it may eventually adopt the name “Tempest”—its use reflects the level of importance Japan is assigning to the program.
Finally, the GCAP countries continue to advance toward the program’s technological milestones. According to plans previously announced by BAE Systems, the first flight of the technology demonstrator is scheduled to take place in 2027, a key step to validate aerodynamic, propulsion, and systems-integration solutions for future prototypes. These efforts are complemented by more recent progress in the development of advanced sensors, communication systems, and networked combat capabilities—areas considered fundamental to the performance of a sixth-generation aircraft.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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