F-X

The Mitsubishi F-X (unofficially called F-3) was a sixth-generation stealth fighter that was in development for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). It was to be Japan's first domestically developed stealth fighter jet and to replace the Mitsubishi F-2 by the mid-2030s. Its development also aimed to bolster the nation's defense industry and potentially enter the international arms market amid Japan's changing defense posture. In October 2020, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was selected as the lead developer. On 9 December 2022 the governments of Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy jointly announced that they would develop and deploy a common fighter jet under a project called the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), merging development of the latter two nations' BAE Systems Tempest and the F-X.