https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...an-f-47-plans/
Next-gen GCAP warplane faces time pressure amid American F-47 plans
ROME — The under-development GCAP fighter and the newly launched
American F-47 can be cogs in an integrated allied system of fighters and not competitors, a European official has said.
“The F-47 will be principally a U.S. fighter and not a competitor to the GCAP,” said Italian Air Force Gen. Giandomenico Taricco, who is working on the Anglo-Japanese-Italian GCAP program.
“What we want is for the GCAP to be interoperable with the F-47, to make them two elements in an integrated system,” said Taricco, who is commercial and corporate director at GIGO, the intergovernmental agency running the sixth-generation GCAP program.
The U.S. signaled its arrival in the sixth-generation market in March when President Donald Trump said
Boeing would develop the F-47 which could be fielded by the end of the decade. That would give it a head start on the GCAP plane, which is not expected to be delivered until 2035.
Trump reportedly discussed the F-47 with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last month. “(Trump) said the United States has such great fighter jets and asked Ishiba if he would like to take a look at them,” wrote Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, quoting unnamed sources.
Japan joined GCAP to be able to co-own the technology on board the plane, something it would be less able to do with an equivalent U.S. jet. But there are growing reports Japan is unhappy with the time needed to develop the GCAP as neighbor China threatens its airspace with advanced fighters such as the planned sixth generation J-50.
Last month Reuters reported Japan was dubious GCAP would achieve its planned 2035 in-service date and was considering ordering more F-35s as a gap filler. Taricco told Defense News that Italy and the U.K. shared Japan’s sense of urgency about keeping GCAP on schedule and even shortening the schedule.
“The Japanese are extremely motivated to accelerate the program and rightly so, as are we,” he said. “We all share the urgency and everyone is putting pressure on,” he added……..