Japan, UK, Italy to agree on next-generation F-X fighter development

The authorities of Japan will soon reach an agreement with the United Kingdom and Italy on the development of a successor for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF)’s F-2 fighter.

A formal agreement is expected in December 2022, as reported by the local daily newspaper Asahi. The arrangement will include provisions for the export of the future fighter jet.
Japan’s next-generation fighter jet will replace the Mitsubishi F-2, a Japanese version of the F-16, currently operated by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. It should be a twin-engine stealth fighter which will include the research done on the experimental X-2 Shinshin, a canceled fifth-generation fighter jet program. In November 2020, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was awarded the leadership of the F-X program. 

British aerospace manufacturer BAE Systems will help Mitsubishi Heavy Industries develop the F-X fighter, while Rolls-Royce will assist IHI Corporation with developing the XF9 engine for the aircraft. According to Asahi, Avio Aero from Italy will also be involved in the development of the engine.

The F-X fighter is set to be operational by 2035, when the F-2 will begin to be phased out.

aerotime 

Northrop Developing 6th Gen Fighter Plans

Northrop Grumman has stood a pair of teams dedicated to developing a "sixth-generation" fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, years before the US Navy or Air Force intends to issue requests for information on potential replacements for current aircraft.
Both the Air Force and Navy have begun preliminary planning for what is referred to as next-generation air dominance, or "sixth-generation" fighters. After working together on the F-35 joint strike fighter, the two services are looking at procuring their own respective jets.
The Navy's program is dubbed F/A-XX, while the Air Force's effort is known as F-X.
That program is expected to award a contract to either Northrop or its competitor, a team of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, in late spring or early summer.
defensenews

South Korea Approves Procurement Of Lockheed Martin F-35A

The Republic of Korea finalized its formal selection of the F-35A for its F-X fighter acquisition program, announcing its intent to sign the Letter of Offer and Acceptance for 40 F-35A with initial deliveries beginning in 2018.
Following a comprehensive evaluation process for its F-X program, the Republic of Korea, which first announced its competitive selection of the F-35 over the 4th Generation Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and the EADS Eurofighter Typhoon in March this year, now becomes the third Foreign Military Sales country to procure the F-35, joining Israel and Japan who selected the F-35A in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
lockheedmartin

Republic of Korea Formally Selects Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II

The Republic of Korea has formally announced its decision to procure the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for its F-X fighter acquisition program.
Following a comprehensive evaluation process for their F-X program, the Republic of Korea becomes the third Foreign Military Sales country to procure the F-35, joining Israel and Japan.
The program also currently includes participation from three U.S. military service branches and eight international partner countries. The F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps.
lockheedmartin

Lockheed Martin F-35 Now Sole Candidate in South Korea Fighter Project

Lockheed Martin's F-35 is emerging as the sole qualified candidate as Korea's search for a new-generation fighter jet starts all over again.
The Defense Ministry in September decided against Boeing's F-15SE because of its unsatisfactory stealth capability.
The Air Force has recently revised requirements for the F-X project and recommended them to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Air Force set more stringent requirements for the stealth capability and electronics like the radar cross-section, a measure of how detectable an object is with radar.
That would also rule out EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon, the third in the previous round, because it fails to meet these requirements.
The ministry is expected to discuss the Air Force's recommendation at a meeting of Joint Chiefs of Staff commanders. Early next month, it will then submit the recommendation to a committee chaired by Defense Minister to sign a straightforward contract for the F-35 rather than putting the project out to tender again.
But some military leaders are worried because there is no precedent for a contract without tender for a huge arms procurement project worth more than W8 trillion. They are also concerned about delays because the F-35 is still not fully developed. Some are suggesting buying a mix of 40 F-35s and 20 improved F-15s or Typhoons.
english.chosun

Turkey Looks Into Fifth-Gen Complement To JSF

Turkey's aviation industry has come a long way since it began building F-16 Fighting Falcons in the 1980s. Now it is confident that it can produce an aircraft in-country that will not only replace the F-16 but complement the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in years to come.
Turkish Aviation Industries (TAI) has been working quietly on ideas for a fifth-generation fighter, dubbed the F-X, for several years, but 2013 represents a critical year in the decision-making process for the project. A $20 million two-year concept phase, started in August 2011, will end this September, and a meeting of Turkey's Defense Industry Executive Committee, which takes place at year-end, will define how the program will begin to take shape.
Tony Osborne-aviationweek