Mitsubishi F-2
Posted on 11/07/2010 8:15:18 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Japan eyes procuring F-35 fighters; gives up on more F-2 jets
Monday 08th November, 07:54 AM JST
TOKYO —
The Defense Ministry has set its sights on procuring the F-35 fighter as Japan’s main next-generation fighter aircraft for the Air Self-Defense Force, giving up on an earlier plan to buy more F-2 fighters, ministry and Self-Defense Forces sources said Sunday.
The ministry plans to seek procurement costs for the F-35 in its budget request for fiscal 2012 and is slated to begin full-fledged arrangements for the procurement plan early next year through a selection committee to prepare for the budget request deadline next summer, the sources said.
The ministry was planning to retool its current main F-15 fighters and buy more F-2 jets as a stopgap measure, given the delay in the development of the fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter capable of flying at supersonic speeds as well as its price increase.
But the ministry has determined that procuring the less functional F-2 aircraft additionally would not be expedient from the standpoint of deterrence and cost, the sources said.
Also considering that China has been mass-producing its own fighter planes that are comparable to the F-15 jets and is seeking to develop a next-generation aircraft, the ministry is eyeing the deployment of about 40 units of the F-35 or other fifth-generation fighters, they said.
Japan’s move would bring an end to domestic production of jet fighters for the first time since 1955 when Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. began licensed production of the F-86, as the company will have to terminate its production of the F-2 after delivering the aircraft for fiscal 2011 through March 2012.
The Japanese ministry has requested 680 million yen in the fiscal 2011 budget as expenses to obtain information on the capacity of the F-35, which is being jointly developed by nine countries including the United States, Britain and Italy.
But as priority will be placed on deploying the aircraft to countries that are developing them, it is unclear when Japan would be able to procure them. The price tag has also soared from the original quote of about $50 million per unit to $95 million.
Mitsubishi F-2
Interesting.
I suspect that Japan is just waiting for the right time to express an interest in the STOVL version as well. Given China’s aggressiveness around the Senkakus, I would not be surprised at all if Japan decides to modify the Hyuga and her follow-on sisters to handle the birds.
The JMSDF needs more serious power projection capabilities.
At this point I am still pretty sure the JSF in all it variations is just a wet dream.
If it hasn’t gone off the drawing board by now it never will be. It just a jobs program for many.
In the meantime I suspect there isn’t a human being in the world that can explain axing the F-22, which was a real fighter craft that had actually been BUILT.
At one time, didn’t they want F-22s?
Ping.
Yes and we should have let them buy them. Then the unit price would have come down and we could have bought more.
The F-35 is well "off the drawing board" and flying - just google F-35 test flight. Though it seems to me F-35 has suffered tremendous mission-creep and requirements-creep, jacking up the price and delaying development. It should have been a simple upgraded F-16 with new (but proven) technologies and lessons learned from the F/A-117, YF-23, and F-22. But instead of a better F-16 they're trying for a cheaper F-22 and blowing it.
However, given the threat (China) I think the Japanese would be better off with a more capable fighter that could project power - ie. the F-22. Shame they weren't allowed to buy it. Who was it that killed that idea, the 'rat Congress?
Yes, the JASDF would have preferred the F-22. The Aussies were also interested, as was (I think) Israel.
But the F-22 cannot be exported so they had to go with the F-35 as a second choice.
Half the world wanted the F-22 (including the Israelis) and Hussein kills it.
The only reason that program was killed was to prevent the Jews from having air superiority in the M.E. for the next 30 years.
Who was it that killed that idea, the ‘rat Congress?
Former Wi Rep David Obie — the Obie Admendment...
Bush 43 and Gates killed it. Hussein and Gates just carried out the execution orders.
Wrong. The announcement came while Obama was president. Gates is a RINO (obviously)
Are you trying to tell me that even if Bush wanted to kill it, that Obama didn’t have the power to change course?
Bush’s FY2009 budget capped production at 187 aircraft. Zero’s budgets supported that number. Bush’s budget could have called for 379 aircraft, but it didn’t.
Zero could have funded more F-22s if he so chose, and if the Democratically controlled House and Senate chose to fund it. But they didn’t.
The only saving grace is that Zero did fund storage of the production tooling, and Lockheed Martin is carefully documenting their production proceedures, so the F-22 line can be reopened in the future if desired.
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