James Rothwell
Fri, 11 August 2023
MoD
Britain is considering a Saudi request to become a full partner in a next-generation fighter jet project alongside Italy and Japan, it has emerged.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Britain and Italy are eager to help the Kingdom play a greater role in Western defence partnerships, and are studying a proposal for it to join the Global Combat Air Programme, or GCAP.
Signed in December, the GCAP aims to produce a highly advanced, exportable fighter jet by 2035. The announcement of Japanese involvement was deemed significant at the time as Tokyo has never collaborated on such a project before, and typically restricts defence exports.
Now Saudi Arabia, which the West wants to coax away from Chinese influence and bring deeper into Western defence strategy, wants to play its own role by offering major funding for the project.
‘Strategic partner’
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the UK’s strategic partnerships and UK Defence is keen to deepen work on GCAP. We see Saudi Arabia as a key partner in the fighter programme and we are working to ensure strong progress as soon as possible,” a senior defence source told the Daily Telegraph.
According to the Financial Times, Riyadh is hoping to pledge tens of billions of dollars to finance the GCAP as well as potential engineering expertise.
By taking part in the project, Saudi Arabia hopes to advance a long-term goal of becoming a domestic producer of defence technology and weapons, moving away from its current status as a major importer.
Riyadh’s eagerness to join the programme may also be influenced by delays to a second delivery of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft due to resistance from Germany - one of the four partners in the Eurofighter project. Germany imposed a weapons embargo against Saudi Arabia in 2018 in response to the Kingdom’s involvement in the Yemen conflict and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest spenders on defence imports, which it mostly secures from the United States. But in recent years, Riyadh has funneled billions of dollars into domestic defence projects.
Earlier this week, the Kingdom signed an agreement with Turkish drone firm Baykar which will begin manufacturing its drones on Saudi soil.
However, Saudi entry to the GCAP could potentially be scuppered by Japan, the Financial Times reported. Tokyo is said to be concerned that letting Saudi Arabia join the project will complicate discussions on who it can sell its weapons to. It was also suggested that the late addition of Saudi funding and expertise might delay the completion of the project.
If Britain approved a Saudi request to join GCAP it would be the latest step towards a major thaw in relations with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
After the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Crown Prince, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Western leaders shunned Mohammed bin Salman. President Joe Biden vowed to make him a “pariah” in 2019 while campaigning for the US election.
But in more recent years, the West has sought to bring the man known by his initials, MBS, back into the fold on grounds of pragmatism and economic interests. Last summer, Mr Biden visited the Saudi leader in Riyadh in an embarrassing volte face, while Britain is reportedly due to host him this Autumn.
Italy and Japan did not immediately respond to the reports of a Saudi request to join GCAP on Friday.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the UK’s strategic partnerships and UK Defence is keen to deepen work on GCAP. We see Saudi Arabia as a key partner in the fighter programme and we are working to ensure strong progress as soon as possible,” a senior defence source told the Daily Telegraph.
According to the Financial Times, Riyadh is hoping to pledge tens of billions of dollars to finance the GCAP as well as potential engineering expertise.
By taking part in the project, Saudi Arabia hopes to advance a long-term goal of becoming a domestic producer of defence technology and weapons, moving away from its current status as a major importer.
Riyadh’s eagerness to join the programme may also be influenced by delays to a second delivery of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft due to resistance from Germany - one of the four partners in the Eurofighter project. Germany imposed a weapons embargo against Saudi Arabia in 2018 in response to the Kingdom’s involvement in the Yemen conflict and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest spenders on defence imports, which it mostly secures from the United States. But in recent years, Riyadh has funneled billions of dollars into domestic defence projects.
Earlier this week, the Kingdom signed an agreement with Turkish drone firm Baykar which will begin manufacturing its drones on Saudi soil.
However, Saudi entry to the GCAP could potentially be scuppered by Japan, the Financial Times reported. Tokyo is said to be concerned that letting Saudi Arabia join the project will complicate discussions on who it can sell its weapons to. It was also suggested that the late addition of Saudi funding and expertise might delay the completion of the project.
If Britain approved a Saudi request to join GCAP it would be the latest step towards a major thaw in relations with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
After the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Crown Prince, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Western leaders shunned Mohammed bin Salman. President Joe Biden vowed to make him a “pariah” in 2019 while campaigning for the US election.
But in more recent years, the West has sought to bring the man known by his initials, MBS, back into the fold on grounds of pragmatism and economic interests. Last summer, Mr Biden visited the Saudi leader in Riyadh in an embarrassing volte face, while Britain is reportedly due to host him this Autumn.
Italy and Japan did not immediately respond to the reports of a Saudi request to join GCAP on Friday.
Joining GCAP ‘a boon for the Saudis’
Neil Quilliam, a fellow at Chatham House’ Middle East programme, said joining GCAP would be a “boon” for the Saudis which suggested that their “ambition to transform Saudi Arabia from consumer to producer is beginning to gain traction, though the path to success will be long and winding.”
“The fact that Saudi Arabia might join the UK and Italy also shows that major powers are taking the country more seriously than before, though Japan is dragging its heels, and this would represent a diplomatic and commercial turning point for the kingdom,” he added.
Dr William Reynolds, a security analyst at King’s College War Studies department, said a key advantage of GCAP was spreading the cost and risk of development across multiple contributing countries - which would make Saudi investment an attractive prospect.
But the question of whether Japan would allow Saudi Arabia to join, even if Britain and Italy are keen on the idea, remained unanswered.
“There is room for Saudi Arabia in the group as a financer, but as an equal partner I don’t see it,” he said. “And it could delay the programme significantly.”
He added that letting Saudi Arabia join might create domestic political trouble for the government in Japan. “It’s a boat they don’t want to rock in terms of Japanese domestic politics. There is a significant anti-war segment in Japanese society still,” he said.
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