In this June 7, 2019 photo, a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet is parked on the tarmac at the Payerne Air Base as a Boeing McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet takes off in the background, during flight and ground tests in Payerne. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

TOKYO - Lockheed Martin Corp, the maker of the F-35 jet, will help Japan build a new stealth fighter plane its air force wants to field by the mid-2030s.

Lockheed will partner with project leader Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) , Japan’s Ministry of Defence said in press release on Friday, reforming a partnership that developed Japan’s last jet fighter, the F-2, three decades ago.

Lockheed will partner with project leader Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) , Japan’s Ministry of Defence said in press release on Friday, reforming a partnership that developed Japan’s last jet fighter, the F-2, three decades ago

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“In order to ensure interoperability with the United States we will begin this project together from next year,” the ministry said.

The new fighter, which is known as the F-3 or F-X and is expected to cost about $40 billion, will replace the F-2. Lockheed had proposed a hybrid design based on its F-35 and F-22 jets, but Japan rejected that in favour of a home-grown design.

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Other foreign firms that had expressed an interest in participating in the F-3’s development include F-18 Super Hornet builder Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp from the United States, as well as Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc.

Japan said it would continue to seek cooperation on the F-3 with both Britain and the United States to gain access to technology and help lower development costs.