Britain's Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a partnership with Japan and Italy to build a new fighter jet, is heading for the launch of the design and development phase in 2025 "at pace", a BAE Systems managing director said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the Farnborough Airshow earlier on Monday that he wanted to put "on record" the importance of GCAP, dampening speculation that the project could be axed following a defence review.

BAE's Herman Claesen, who works on GCAP, was speaking at a press conference with his Italian and Japanese counterparts at the airshow. He told reporters that GCAP's industrial construct phase was nearing completion.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle, writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)