DUBAI: Japan, the UK and Italy are open to having Saudi Arabia join their next-generation fighter-jet initiative, but only once the project has reached a more advanced stage and key issues have been resolved, according to The Japan Times.

The Global Combat Air Program is a joint effort to develop a sixth-generation fighter.

It will likely remain a trilateral initiative until after the GCAP International Government Organization, or GIGO, and the industry-led joint venture Edgewing sign their first international contract, likely by the end of 2025, the newspaper reported recently.

The GIGO, officially inaugurated on Monday in Reading, England, was established last year to oversee government-level coordination for the program.

Edgewing, launched last month, brings together the UK’s BAE Systems, Italy’s Leonardo, and the Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co., and is responsible for designing and developing the aircraft.

“There is no preclusion in having Saudi Arabia join the program, but we first have to define certain criteria and clarify all the points,” one source told The Japan Times, speaking after a virtual meeting between the GCAP nations’ defense ministers on Monday.

Riyadh has been “encouraged” to build up its aerospace expertise — including potentially acquiring and assembling Eurofighter Typhoons — before entering the GCAP, the newspaper reported.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, several other countries are said to have expressed interest in joining the program. These include two unnamed European countries, as well as one Middle Eastern and one Asian nation, according to a source cited by The Japan Times.

The terms of participation and contributions of any future member states remain undefined. Any expansion of the program would require unanimous approval from Japan, the UK and Italy.

The GCAP aircraft will be Japan’s first major defense development with partners other than the US.

It is intended to replace the aging F-2 fighter jets used by Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, as well as the Eurofighters operated by the UK and Italy. The new jets are scheduled to enter service by 2035.

With the conceptual design phase complete, the program is moving into detailed design and development, and a demonstrator flight is expected within two to three years.

Despite overall satisfaction with the program’s progress, some tensions remain, particularly around access to sensitive intellectual property and full technology sharing.

In April, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto publicly criticized the UK for not fully disclosing technology to its partners, in an interview with Reuters.

It is a concern that The Japan Times understands is still unresolved.

• This story was originally published on Arab News Japan

KARACHI: At least 87 people have been killed and 149 others injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26, according to figures released Thursday by the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, reported 29 deaths including 15 children, while the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province recorded 30 deaths, 14 of them children. The southern province of Sindh reported 16 deaths, eight of them children, and the southwestern province of Balochistan saw 11 fatalities, five of them children. One man lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the NDMA said.

“The total number of 87 deceased include 42 children, 29 men and 16 women,” the NDMA report said, adding that 149 people were injured, 61 children, 52 men and 36 women.

Heavy rains have also damaged at least 242 houses nationwide, including 71 that were completely destroyed and 171 that were partially damaged.

Flood relief operations have been underway since late June, with authorities distributing tents, ration bags, blankets, sandbags, quilts, gas cylinders, mattresses, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, plastic mats, hygiene kits and food packets to affected families.

A total of 24 relief camps have been set up in Punjab and two in Sindh, providing shelter to 176 people. According to the NDMA, around 245 people have been rescued in 21 operations carried out across the country.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Pakistani government, has finalized its Monsoon Contingency Plan 2025 to ensure a coordinated emergency response and maintain essential health services in high-risk districts.

The plan will be implemented in 10 districts in Punjab and Sindh, nine in Balochistan and four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“WHO stands with Pakistan and partners to be ready to save lives by supporting rapid response, surveillance and the continuity of essential health services in the event of a natural disaster,” Pakistani state media quoted WHO Representative Dr. Dapeng Luo as saying.

“In a context marked by the impacts of climate change, which are exacerbating risks, it is crucial to be ready to protect the health of all, particularly the most vulnerable,” Luo added.

Pakistan has also rolled out a location-based SMS alert system to warn citizens living in flood-prone areas about imminent weather threats.