Japan, UK, Italy to extend fighter jet pact to end-2027 - Nikkei

**Insight: Japan, the UK and Italy will extend their fighter-jet development pact to end-2027, a follow-up to the GCAP sixth-generation fighter program rather than a brand-new project. - - Extension matters because the prior Edgewing/GCAP design contract reportedly ran only to June 2026, so this would bridge the program into a longer development phase and reduce near-term continuity risk. - - Italy approved major GCAP funding earlier this year and Japan/Italy recently pledged to accelerate the program, but it also follows concerns about UK funding commitment