Japan's Air Self-Defense Force will partner with U.S. firms to build its next-generation fighter plane.

A proposal to enlist British companies, which would have given Japan the freedom to update the planes at will, was ultimately rejected in favor of the increasing security ties between Japan and the United States, according to Japanese officials.

The decision was expected, and will officially be announced later this year. It likely will offer U.S. companies control of design, while Japan will assume the cost of research and development.

Japan seeks a replacement for its aging F-2 aircraft, currently built by Mitsubishi, to enter service sometime in the 2030s. It envisions a long-range fighter plane with stealth characteristics and usable for patrolling the country's vast maritime sovereignty.

Among plausible partners for the project, expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, the United States has the most experience in building fighter planes with those capabilities, and Japan is unlikely to export the plane to any country the United States regards as an enemy.

U.S. contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing have been named as possible partners, although Japan has made it clear that it will not name a single partner.

A totally new aircraft is expected, unlike a hybrid of the F-22 and F-35 as proposed by Lockheed Martin. It is unclear if all collaboration with British companies, currently developing a next-generation fighter plane of their own, the Tempest, has been rejected. Some mutual development of systems and electronics components between Japan and Britain remains a possibility, officials say.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Canada urges Iran to give access to downed airliner's black boxes
Kiev (AFP) March 4, 2020
Iran must give access to the black boxes from a Ukrainian airliner shot down by an Iranian missile in early January, Canada's foreign minister said on Wednesday. "We do expect and we demand... from Iran to give access to the black boxes without any further delay," Francois-Philippe Champagne said during a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart in Kiev. Champagne stressed that it has been more than 30 days since the accident killing all 176 on board, and that Iran will "undermine the int ... read more