India's Kaveri jet engine, initially dropped from the Tejas programme, is being revived with a push for self-reliance in military aviation, aiming to develop sixth-generation fighter engines within 5-7 years, leveraging decades of accumulated expertise for future combat aircraft like AMCA
Edgewing, a joint venture of UK, Japan, and Italy, has secured a £4.6 billion contract from the GCAP Agency to develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft. Expected by 2035, the jet will feature advanced stealth, AI, and operate with autonomous drones.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) implicitly acknowledged its sixth-generation fighter in a video marking the 10th anniversary of the Y-20 heavy transport aircraft. The video featured a dialogue between pilots and a blurry silhouette of a tailless plane, sparking widespread online discussion.
India and France have elevated their defense partnership to a Special Global Strategic Partnership, focusing on co-design and co-production of advanced defense platforms. A key area of discussion is a potential collaboration on a sixth-generation fighter jet, with India seen as a natural partner following France's split with Germany on a similar project.
Eight German defense firms are developing a new sixth-generation fighter jet concept after the collapse of the Franco-German FCAS project. This move raises concerns in Paris about Germany's military ambitions and its traditional partnership with France.
An eight-company consortium led by Airbus, 'Team Gen 6', is launching a new initiative to develop a next-generation fighter jet following the collapse of Europe's Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The German-led project aims to present details at the ILA air show and urges timely government contracts.
The €100 billion Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, a joint effort by France and Germany to develop a next-generation fighter jet for NATO, has been formally abandoned due to irreconcilable industrial and political disagreements. The project, launched in 2017, aimed to counter Russia and reduce reliance on US hardware but stalled over workshare disputes between Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence and Space.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced on April 21 that her cabinet had amended the Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology, Japan's framework for controlling military hardware and technology exports since 2014. Citing an increasingly severe security environment where no single country can protect its own peace alone, Takaichi emphasized the need for partner countries to support each other through defence equipment. Despite Japan's technological capabilities, the country accounts for a trivial share of global arms exports, while China and South Korea rank among the top 10 weapons exporters according to SIPRI.
