Japan chooses F-35 as mainstay fighter jet: Reports

[sathya]

TOKYO: Japan has chosen the US-made F-35 stealth jet as its next-generation mainstay fighter in a multi-billion dollar deal, reports said on Tuesday.

The defence ministry picked the jet made by Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing fleet of F-4 jets over two rivals, the Boeing-made F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

Japan's biggest daily said the defence ministry had "agreed in principle" to select the F-35, with a formal announcement expected Friday at the Security Council of Japan, chaired by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

Kyodo News cited unnamed government sources as saying the ministry had decided to buy 40 F-35 fighters, while the Nikkei business daily said only that the jet remained a "prime candidate".

Earlier reports said Japan could buy as many as 50 new jets, equipped with stealth technology, with a price tag of more than $6 billion.

A defence ministry spokesman on Tuesday declined to confirm the reports, saying: "We are still trying to do our best to make a final decision by the end of this year."

And Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura denied the reports that a final decision had been made, Dow Jones Newswires said.

The F-35, the most expensive weapons programme in Pentagon history, has been plagued by cost overruns and technical delays.

The jet, co-developed with British defence giant BAE Systems, is the most expensive among the three candidates, with a price tag estimated at $113 million per aircraft.

Japan initially aimed to acquire the F-22 stealth fighter to renew its fleet, but US law prohibits exports of the jet with the United States having said it would halt production of the model.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

At last the American F-35 has got a scape goat for funding the remaining research work left out. The Americans even tried to bring in INDIA to invest in this research. But our INDIAN BABUS for the first time did not come under the influence of money and technology offered in bribe.

 

[agentperry]

At last the American F-35 has got a scape goat for funding the remaining research work left out. The Americans even tried to bring in INDIA to invest in this research. But our INDIAN BABUS for the first time did not come under the influence of money and technology offered in bribe.

they already have so many countries into it. japan inclusion just shows that american security cover is still very much in demand in asia.

 

[p2prada]

My my, if the F-35 is quoted to be $113Million is supposedly the most expensive in the deal, then EF is cheaper than that and obviously so is Rafale.

 

[indian_sukhoi]

113$$ million is an expected price. But only 50 Aircrafts ordered to replace 400+ fighters??

Japan and Australia also showed interest in acquiring some F-22 Raptors. Presently, USAF planning to place Raptors in Japan

F-22 Raptor in JDAF Flying colours!!1

Pictures of F-22 Raptors in At Kadena Air Base, Japan.

 

[Tshering22]

My my, if the F-35 is quoted to be $113Million is supposedly the most expensive in the deal, then EF is cheaper than that and obviously so is Rafale.

That is because JSF will be built in far more numbers than the Typhoons. EFT is capping now at 700 units including all the participant nations while US alone has ordered more than 2,500 of JSFs, apart from the other member states going from anywhere between 20-200 units. That's a lot of jets and enough to bring unit costs much lower than EFT.

Japan's inclusion will bring more money for R&D and with Japanese know-how, a much faster speed in research as well as manufacturing. There is 99% chance that Mitsubishi or Kawasaki will make the JSFs in-house under license.

 

[asianobserve]

Actually, Japan's inclusion would mean more production line complication because of industrial compromises. But totally, it means that the F-35 is slowly moving forward.