Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy are in talks about Saudi Arabia’s participation in the joint development of their new sixth-generation fighter jet.

On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy is in favor of Saudi Arabia joining the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), according to the Italian Prime Minister’s Office. Italy, Japan and the U.K. launched the GCAP in December 2022 with a goal of deploying the next-generation fighter by 2035.

Meloni became the first of the three nations’ leaders to express official support for Riyadh’s participation in the GCAP.