Saudi Arabia to Join UK-led FCAS Program, Initiate 12 Month Feasibility Study

Saudi Arabia and the UK today signed a declaration of intent for Riyadh to join into the Future Combat Air System program.
As part of the participation, Saudi Arabia is looking at joint production and R & D projects for future air systems, Saudi Arabian Defence MInister, Khalid Bin Salman tweeted.

On Friday, the UK MoD tweeted, "Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and his (Saudi) counterpart signed a Statement of Intent in Riyadh, which initiates a 12-month Partnering Feasibility Study to explore how we can best progress the future of our combat air partnership."

"We signed a declaration of KSA’s intent to participate in the Future Combat Air System program (FCAS) which will strengthen KSA’s defensive capabilities through a comprehensive partnership that includes joint production and R&D projects for future air systems," the tweet said.
On behalf of the UK, The agreement was signed by UK Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace.
The UK-led FCAS program to develop a future fighter jet, also called the Tempest program includes Japan, and Italy. The companies involved are BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, Rolls-Royce, MBDA UK and Mitubishi Heavy Industries.