Japan’s Stealth Fighter Gambit

[Markus]

The Japanese have never been put against the wall since World War II.

Several US-Japan treaties and presence of US bases in Japan gave Japan the military umbrella from any external aggression.

Reduction/diversion of American influence from Japan and Chinese ambitions in the future may just prove to be a trigger for the Japanese to go full throttle to indigenously complete their military requirements and needs.

Japanese expertise and experience in industrial manufacturing and electronics is a reality that can be ignored at your peril.

Remember, it dosent take time for a high tech civilian system to be converted into a military one. To give an example, very few tactical modifications are required to convert a civilian oriented satellite carrying rocket into a military payload carrying ICBM. If you think the Japanese cant do it, think again!

 

[casual]

The Japanese have never been put against the wall since World War II.

Several US-Japan treaties and presence of US bases in Japan gave Japan the military umbrella from any external aggression.

Reduction/diversion of American influence from Japan and Chinese ambitions in the future may just prove to be a trigger for the Japanese to go full throttle to indigenously complete their military requirements and needs.

Japanese expertise and experience in industrial manufacturing and electronics is a reality that can be ignored at your peril.

Remember, it dosent take time for a high tech civilian system to be converted into a military one. To give an example, very few tactical modifications are required to convert a civilian oriented satellite carrying rocket into a military payload carrying ICBM. If you think the Japanese cant do it, think again!

it takes more then knowledge and technology to develop and field military hardware in today's pay to play world.

but personally i would like to see this succeed. it would be good for japan to break away from american protection and stand on their own.

 

[Markus]

it takes more then knowledge and technology to develop and field military hardware in today's pay to play world.

but personally i would like to see this succeed. it would be good for japan to break away from american protection and stand on their own.

Thats what I implied, "Necessity is the mother of invention". When they feel the need, they will do it.

 

[casual]

Thats what I implied, "Necessity is the mother of invention". When they feel the need, they will do it.

their economy is in bad shape tho. i don't know if japan will find the necessity for another expensive technology demonstrator.

 

[tanlixiang28776]

their economy is in bad shape tho. i don't know if japan will find the necessity for another expensive technology demonstrator.

Didn't they already cancel it after that last nuclear disaster?

 

[casual]

Didn't they already cancel it after that last nuclear disaster?

according to the article, seems like it's going ahead.

 

[jha]

their economy is in bad shape tho. i don't know if japan will find the necessity for another expensive technology demonstrator.

Their Economy is in bad shape for almost 25 years now.. Had it been any other country,,it would have been imploded by now..
Its Japanese and their zeal that keeps Japan going on and will keep doing so..

 

[UKBengali]

Japan is the only country able to develop and field an AESA radar onboard their F-2 after US(that too in 2001, just 2 years after US did), so do some relevant research before posting. And as of now, no can develop a stealth fighter close to F-22.

You don't know how good the J-20 could be.

 

[houshanghai]

Japan’s Air Power Crunch

Most importantly, the ASDF has yet to select a new fighter to meet the ‘F-X’ requirement for up to 50 planes to replace 30-year-old F-4s. Boeing F/A-18E/F, Lockheed Martin's F-35 and the Eurofighter Typhoon are all vying for the contract, with a down-select slated for this year or next. The winner will be required to share some production efforts with Japanese industry, and could be in a strong position to also replace Japan's F-15s and F-2s.

Even with fighter co-production to help sustain it, Japan’s military aerospace industry will struggle to fulfil current and future ASDF requirements. In the last 15 years, production of warplanes in Japan has declined from a peak of around 70 per year to around a dozen today, with a commensurate erosion of skills and efficiency. ‘Japan’s military aircraft design and production capabilities have fallen precipitously,’ says Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, based in Virginia.

A 1 percent GDP constitutional cap on defence spending and laws barring weapons exports limit Japanese aerospace’s potential for a quick revival. That means Tokyo will have to import more and more of its combat aircraft. That, in turn, limits Japan's autonomy as a military power.

Industrial concerns aren’t the only challenge, Cronin says. ‘On top of these “hardware” needs, the JASDF will also need to invest in the software of effective joint and combined strategic planning (from regional disaster response to concepts such as AirSea Battle), sustainable basing (e.g. dual civil-military use and US-Japan use), and experience in the field.’


Japan’s Air Power Crunch | Flashpoints

 

[nomi007]

usa is also helping japan in this project providing engines and other necessary equipments

 

[bigest]

US plan to sell F-35 to japan.So US doesn't offer assistant to japan's stealth project.

 

[Luftwaffe]

See I told you so I told you US will offer F-35s a couple of months ago, I told you many of systems will be part of ATD-X project. US projected to sell more in 2011/2012 and Here you see US move to offer Japan.

 

[Penguin]

Japanese are still far Away , i read some where on internet that they poses 60% of technology of a complete Aircraft.

I read somewhere on the internet that you are an idiot. Does the fact something is on internet mean it's true?
Source!

 

[Penguin]

Looks like it will be stealth due to its tiny puny negligible size..No radar will be able to detect such an insignificant airplane...

The ATD-X is just a technology demonstrator. There is no way to infer that a japanese future stealth fighter would look like the ATD-X.

 

[Penguin]

Oh come on, never Challenge the Japanese and Germans when it comes to technology, only thing is Japan has never felt the need of making one ever since under the umbrella of USA....

Actually, USA did its best to actively prevent Japan from developing its own fighter.

In October 1985, the Defense Agency began considering three development options for the FSX: domestic development, adoption of an existing domestic model, or adoption of a foreign model. The agency originally favored domestic development. The Japan Defense Agency's research and development arm, the Technical Research and Development Institute, announced that, except for the engine, Japan possessed the domestic capability to develop an advanced fighter for about $1 billion. But by late 1986, after consultation and much pressure from the United States, it decided to consider a coproduction agreement with the United States. And in October 1987, Japanese and United States defense officials meeting in Washington decided on a joint project to remodel either the F-15 or the F-16.

In November 1988, the United States and Japan agreed to cooperatively develop the FS-X fighter aircraft, basing its design on Lockheed's F-16 Block 40 fighter aircraft.

F-2 Support Fighter / FSX

That's how they ended up with the F-2.