Japan cleared to buy 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters for $23bn

[BHarwana]

Japan has been cleared by the US State Department to buy 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters as part of a package worth an estimated $23.11 billion.

The potential F-35 deal is the second largest foreign military sale approved by Washington in history, behind a $29.4 billion sale of Boeing F-15SA fighters and associated weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2010.

Tokyo requested 63 examples of the F-35A conventional take-off-and-landing variant and 42 examples of the F-35B short-take-off-and-vertical-landing variant (STVOL), the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency says as part of a notice delivered to the US Congress on 9 July.

Also, part of the sale are 110 Pratt and Whitney F135 engines, including five spare turbines.

The fighters will come with an electronic warfare and command system; control, communications, computers and intelligence, navigation and identification system; the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Support System; the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System; a flight mission trainer; and F-35 unique infrared flares, among other undisclosed subsystems and features.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region,” says the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency. ”It is vital to U.S. national interest to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defence capability.”

Japan is ordering F-35Bs to populate its two aircraft carriers of the Izumo-class. Originally built as helicopter carriers, the Izumo and Kaga are to be retrofitted with reinforced and heat-resistant decks to handle the fixed-wing aircraft.

Though Japan has a Final Assembly and Check-Out facility for the F-35, aircraft from this prospective order are to be built in Fort Worth, Texas. There are no known offset agreements as part of the deal, says the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The sale of F-35s to Japan is not finalised and still requires acceptance by Tokyo.

https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-...f-35-stealth-fighters-for-23bn/139234.article

 

[FuturePAF]

Any indication japan is abandoning its indigenous 5th generation fighter project?

 

[KAL-EL]

Excellent news if it comes to fruition

 

[YeBeWarned]

Twenty fcuking three point one one Billion dollars that is one hell of a big arm sale for USA .. congrats

 

[BHarwana]

Any indication japan is abandoning its indigenous 5th generation fighter project?

F 35 is multi role stealth fighter where are X2 is air superiority fighter so I don't think Japan will abandon it. So far this deal is not accepted by Japan. It only states that USA has offered the sales. In my opinion Japan will buy F35 B for sure for their aircraft carrier but don't know about the rest of the deal. Japan uses US weapons already so could see this sale materializing.

 

[Figaro]

Any indication japan is abandoning its indigenous 5th generation fighter project?

Japanese indigenous fighter is dead on arrival imo ... there is no way the US would ever share the core stealth technologies with Japan. This would hurt their business and may result in the secrets leaking out to China or Russia. IMHO, the only serious 5th generation fighter projects are the F-22, F-35, J-20, and Su-57 ... all the others are just for show.

 

[Hassan Guy]

Imagine ordering military equipment and actually having it be delivered

 

[Bilal Khan (Quwa)]

Imagine ordering military equipment and actually having it be delivered

must be how rich people live...

 

[damm1t]

Japan never stops making me disappointed. Like happened to Germany, US holds Japan from the balls too. Japan literally has everything can be needed to build a super fighter or any other sophisticated weapons.

 

[crankthatskunk]

Once you are defeated, it takes centuries to come out of the mental decay and scars left after the defeat.

 

[XTQ1999]

This is on top of 42 F-35As already on order, total of 147 F-35s

 

[striver44]

This is on top of 42 F-35As already on order, total of 147 F-35s

no 105 jets is the total with 63 A variant for the JASDF and 42 B variant for the JMSDF

 

[KAL-EL]

Imagine ordering military equipment and actually having it be delivered

Like ordering Pizza Hut?

 

[Indos]

Japan never stops making me disappointed. Like happened to Germany, US holds Japan from the balls too. Japan literally has everything can be needed to build a super fighter or any other sophisticated weapons.

They will buy them but Japan will keep developing their true 5 generation fighter. The development will be started next year and it has already allocated money for first stage design. Most probably Japan will also get TOT from US after this huge acquisition like the way Korean get it after buying 45 F35 to build KFX/IFX fighter.

Any indication japan is abandoning its indigenous 5th generation fighter project?

Nope, Japan 5 generation fighter will be started next year. Jane Defense has already reported it. There is PDF thread about it also. Japan is rich you know........

Japan rejects foreign plans for next-generation fighter
by Kosuke Takahashi

01 April 2020

Japan’s partner on the F-X programme – either the US or the UK – is expected to be formally announced later this year. In December 2019 the MoD in Tokyo released this ‘conceptual image’ of the new fighter. (Japanese MoD)

The Japanese Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has confirmed to Jane’s that it plans to pursue a Japan-led development project of a next-generation fighter aircraft, rejecting proposals by foreign manufacturers, including the one by Lockheed Martin to develop a new stealthy aircraft by combining elements of the F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation fighters.

Tokyo aims to replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF’s) Mitsubishi F-2 fighter aircraft with a future fighter in the 2030s.

“Based on previous discussions, the option of ‘developing derivatives of existing fighters’ cannot be a candidate from the perspective of a Japan-led development, and the MoD has come to the conclusion that we will develop a new model, and also this has been communicated to Lockheed Martin,” an ATLA spokesperson told Jane’s on 1 April.

“We recognise we have built up enough technology to make a fighter development project possible domestically,” he added, pointing out, however, that, as mentioned in the MoD’s Mid-Term Defense Program (MTDP), the project includes the possibility of international collaboration.

As Jane’s reported on 11 March, the United Kingdom and the United States emerged as the front-runners in Japan’s fighter development project – called ‘F-X’ – following a series of requests for information (RFIs) in 2018.

 

[Yaseen1]

f35 may lose its dominance as china and russia are developing its more effective killer weapons,japan should limit buying these to few jets and focus on airdefence and unmanned drones as future is of unmanned drones and non kinetic direct energy airdefences like emp guns which can destroy f35 like jets with speed of light