U.S., Japan, Australia eye potential collaborative combat aircraft and more for joint development

The United States, Japan and Australia have inked a "landmark" agreement to explore trilateral cooperation on efforts to develop collaborative combat aircraft, autonomous systems and composite aerospace materials, the latest development in a growing three-way compact between Washington, Tokyo and Canberra.

On May 2, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed a three-way Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Projects Arrangement during a Trilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting in Hawaii.

“Science and technology cooperation is vital to maintain their collective edge and deepen their defense cooperation,” according to a May 3 joint statement. “This landmark arrangement allows the respective defense organizations to pursue areas of interest for operationally relevant advanced collaboration.”

A Pentagon spokesman said the full text of the agreement will not be made public.

The statement notes the agreement provides a new channel for defense officials from the three nations to “further discuss cooperative opportunities in the areas of collaborative combat aircraft and autonomous systems and composite aerospace materials.”