Breaking news
Japan to buy 100 new fifth-generation air superiority fighter jets by the 2030s.
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World Aviation Defense & Security News - India
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Japan to buy 100 new fifth-generation air superiority fighter jets by the 2030s
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According to the DailyCaller, Japan is getting ready to buy up to 100 new fighter jets by the 2030s, and may tap U.S. companies to make the new planes. The project could cost $40 billion, making it one of the country’s biggest defense contracts ever.
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 X-2 Shinshin during its maiden flight (Credit: Wikipedia) |
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Japan will decide within the next two years whether to move forward with the X-2 and use the prototype as the basis for the so-called (F-3) Future Fighter Program. So far Tokyo has spent 39.4 billion yen ($332 million) on the development of the technology demonstrator. Lockheed Martin and Boeing, two of the largest defense contractors in the U.S., have been asked to compete for the contract, Reuters reports. The new fighter, the F-3, would replace an aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs. “Japan is seeking information from a variety of potential industry partners and we are certainly interested in another potential opportunity to bolster our longstanding partnership with Japan,” Lockheed Martin said in an email to Flight Global. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has three options, according to a Japanese official interviewed by Flight Global. First, develop an indigenous air superiority fighter. Second, partner with a foreign defense contractor and license-produce a new aircraft. Third, import or upgrade an existing platform. |
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