3 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PLAN JET FIGHTER PROJECT

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Britain, West Germany and Italy announced today that they would push ahead with a $15 billion program to develop an advanced new jet fighter for the 21st century. But France and Spain, which also took part in preliminary talks on this ''Eurofighter'' project, did not join today's agreement, although they have promised to give a final answer within the next few weeks. The new fighter is expected to come into service with the British, West German and Italian air forces around 1995, replacing aging United States-built McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms, Lockheed F-104 Starfighters and other older planes. It will incorporate advanced new technologies, making it exceptionally agile in flight. Many experts believe its successful construction could close a large segment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizaton fighter market to American manufacturers for a generation.