Japan chooses F-35 as next Fighter Reports

[Zarvan]

Japan chooses F-35 as mainstay fighter jet: Reports - The Times of India
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.

 

[Harry_Thomason]

So where does own "invisible fighter" stands, or it was scrapped?

 

[Skull and Bones]

So where does own "invisible fighter" stands, or it was scrapped?

Will be, soon.

 

[Zabaniyah]

Well, if they are buying the F-35, why waste money on Shin-shin? It isn't worth it in my opinion.

 

[Rusty]

Did Japan really have any options?
As a vassal of the US they had to buy a US plane, and since Japan is a rich country and the US is in deep recession, they had to buy the most expensive one.

 

[canadian icehole]

Did Japan really have any options?
As a vassal of the US they had to buy a US plane, and since Japan is a rich country and the US is in deep recession, they had to buy the most expensive one.

Japan and other countries besides (China, India/Russia, and USA) don't have any other 5th gen fighters to select from.

IMO, the options for Japan and others in the same predicament are the following:

1. purchase the F-35;
2. purchase the F-18 E/F as a stop gap measure then partner up with other nations:
a. in developing their own stealth fighter (if the F-35 fails) or;
b. to develop an air defence system that can negate stealth technologies.

 

[Ammyy]

Well, if they are buying the F-35, why waste money on Shin-shin? It isn't worth it in my opinion.

Then whts worthy in your opinion ????

 

[Zabaniyah]

Then whts worthy in your opinion ????

It's very costly for the Japanese to develop their own 5th generation fighter in-house. Rather, it'd be financially more feasible if they just buy it from the Americans with ToT options.

 

[PoKeMon]

Well, if they are buying the F-35, why waste money on Shin-shin? It isn't worth it in my opinion.

Instead of shin-shin, better to invest money on new episodes of shin chan. I love it.

 

[Ammyy]

Instead of shin-shin, better to invest money on new episodes of shin chan. I love it.

 

[Oldman1]

Did Japan really have any options?
As a vassal of the US they had to buy a US plane, and since Japan is a rich country and the US is in deep recession, they had to buy the most expensive one.

Yes Japan is a rich country, but its economy is in shambles.