Posted on 11/19/2022 7:26:51 PM PST by FarCenter
Japan, Britain and Italy are expected to reach a formal agreement in December to develop a next-generation fighter jet that will be used by the Air Self-Defense Force, Japanese government sources said.
Japan plans to deploy the new fighters by around 2035, when the ASDF’s current F-2s will start to retire.
The airframe of the new fighters will be mainly developed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) and BAE Systems Plc, a major British defense contractor. Italian aviation and defense company Leonardo SpA will join in this part of the project, the sources said.
Japan’s IHI Corp., Britain’s Rolls-Royce Plc and Italy’s Avio SpA will develop the engine.
The Japanese and British governments, at a meeting in May, agreed to come up with a collaboration outline by the end of 2022.
The two countries have planned to develop next-generation fighter jets with “stealth” ability and technology for coordination with drones.
Italy, which had discussed fighter jet development with Britain, later joined the talks with Japan.
(Excerpt) Read more at asahi.com ...
Based on F 35 Or completely home grown? Which would be a departure for Japan.
Japan building its own military industrial complex?
Meanwhile everyone keeps buying all the F-35s they can get.
It’s everything they want their new, future fighter to be...but available now.
And cost is down to < $80mil per copy.
“https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/f-35-far-more-super-f-4-phantom-jet-176046“
Cheaper than modern 4th generation aircraft.
They made some really high quality aircraft, back in the day.
Japan recently removed the pacifist legal prohibition on export arms sales. Given the quality of Japanese armaments, they are expected to be in considerable demand.
This is the Japanese version of the YF23 I think?
But it sucks.
LOL
The F22 will destroy it. But the US doesn’t want that fact known.
Their finest products are now small coral reefs spread across the Pacific.
CC
There are considerations more than mere costs. Technology sharing, developing sovereign manufacturing capabilities etc. Plus the US jealously guards the source code of the f35 except in the UK and Israeli ones which can be used to brick them if the Americans don’t like it. Britain has to negotiate hard to secure sovereign access to the source code.
This is essential in order to prevent some plastic paddy like Biden deciding not support Britain facing another Falklands war type scenario.
>>This is the Japanese version of the YF23 I think?
It is a new design. Japan has rejected basing the fighter on existing designs. After all, the YF23 is over 30 years since first roll out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_F-X
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.