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Sixth generation fighter, will Saudi Arabia participate in the UK program?

1 year ago babelfish

Sixth generation fighter, will Saudi Arabia participate in the UK program?

The Saudi and British defense ministers have agreed to study future cooperation on combat air capabilities and potential industrial projects. But the United Kingdom has specified that it does not concern Saudi participation in the Gcap sixth generation fighter program

Saudi Arabia will not board the sixth generation fighter that the United Kingdom (along with Italy and Japan) is working on.

On March 1, the Saudi and British defense ministers, Khalid bin Salman and Ben Wallace, signed a "declaration of intent" on Riyadh's participation in the Future Air Capabilities Program (FCAS), i.e. projects aimed at creating a new generation.

Among the projects indicated under the acronym FCAS there is also the Tempest program, led by the British and recently renamed Global Air Combat Program (GACP) in which Italy and Japan also participate.

While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has stated that it would join the UK-led Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, London for its part has specified that there is no agreement between the two relating to FCAS or Global Combat Air Program Effort (GCAP) .

All the details.

THE DECLARATION OF INTENT BETWEEN THE UK AND SAUDI ARABIA ON THE SIXTH GENERATION FIGHTER

Areas covered by the document signed by the two ministers include "defining a global and joint vision for the future partnership for air combat operations" and discussing potential partnerships that "satisfy mutual needs". In addition, the statement said the two countries will evaluate possible industrial projects and other joint research and development activities.

KHALID BIN SALMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENT

In a tweet, Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said his country and the UK had "signed a declaration of Saudi Arabia's intention to participate in the FCAS, which will strengthen the defense capabilities of the Saudi Arabia through a global partnership that includes joint manufacturing and R&D projects for the future." air systems'.

LONDON DETAILS

According to the British Ministry of Defence, the mission statement signed in Riyadh will launch a "partnership feasibility study to explore how the decade-long relationship can best be positioned in the future" in terms of cooperation in the fighter aircraft sector.

Both governments confirmed their common desire for closer industrial collaboration, to develop key capabilities and increase prosperity in both nations, also in support of Saudi Vision 2030 goals.

But London has categorically denied that the deal signed between the two countries is related to the FCAS or the Global Combat Air Program despite the Saudi announcements.

WHAT STANDS AT THE GCAP

On December 9, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom announced that they were combining their development projects for a sixth generation fighter with the launch of the new Gcap.

The agreement effectively combines the British-led Tempest project — in which our country participates to replace Typhoon fighters — with Japan's FX program in an undertaking called the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), relating to the development of a next-generation systems and multi-domain operations.

The activities related to the Gcap officially started in December 2021, with an initial funding allocated by the Italian Ministry of Defence, while the "Typhoon-to-Gcap" technological evolution and transition phase launched by the same Ministry with the support of the industry, with the aim of starting a process of strategic modernization of operational resources.

A first demonstrator is scheduled to fly in 2027, after which production is expected to begin around 2030 or 2031 so that a prototype can be deployed by 2035.

THE DEVELOPMENTS

The statement said the two countries will evaluate possible industrial projects and other joint research and development activities. The brief official Saudi media briefing did not indicate whether Riyadh had plans to join the British-led fighter program directly, but defense analysts have warned that such alliances typically take months or years to negotiate, Reuters noted.

According to Breaking Defense , it could be a vote of confidence in Saudi attempts to improve its domestic manufacturing capabilities, as the Middle Eastern powerhouse has traditionally been more of a pure customer than a program partner for Western-made weapons. Again the American specialized magazine recalls that "the United Kingdom previously supplied Saudi Arabia with a fleet of 72 Eurofighter Typhoons, although an additional order for 48 aircraft was suspended after the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2018 and the subsequent ban on the export of military equipment to Riyadh for a year, following a ruling by the London Court of Appeal which ruled that such sales were illegal. The export ban was lifted in July 2020."

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/caccia-di-sesta-generazione-larabia-saudita-partecipera-al-programma-del-regno-unito/ on Tue, 07 Mar 2023 06:27:28 +0000.