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Japan eyes procuring F-35 fighters; gives up on more F-2 jets Monday 08th November, 07:54 AM JST TOKYO — The Defense Ministry has set its sights on procuring the F-35 fighter as Japan’s main next-generation fighter aircraft for the Air Self-Defense Force, giving up on an earlier plan to buy more F-2 fighters, ministry and Self-Defense Forces sources said Sunday. The ministry plans to seek procurement costs for the F-35 in its budget request for fiscal 2012 and is slated to begin full-fledged arrangements for the procurement plan early next year through a selection committee to prepare for the budget...

Japan's FX delay threatens gap in fighter production By Leithen Francis Japan has failed to issue a request for proposals for new fighter aircraft, leaving the country's defence manufacturing industry in limbo. The failure to issue the RFP in April, as had been widely anticipated, has also meant the FX fighter programme is now likely to miss Tokyo's 2011-12 budget and will have to wait another year. This is because there is too little time left, as budget requests are usually made in August and require both cabinet and parliamentary approval, say industry sources in Japan. The sources attribute the...

By Bradley Perrett Japan is risking a rapid loss of fighter engineering skills, an official review of the industry warns, while urging the government to avoid fully importing combat aircraft. Estimates of future engineering effort starkly illustrate an unspoken argument for Japan to buy and develop advanced versions of the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing F-15 or Boeing F/A-18E/F to fill its requirement for 50 fighters. “An industrial base is difficult to rebuild once experienced engineers and mechanics leave the industry, so it is essential to keep it for future fighter development,” says the Commission on Reform of Fighter Production Technology Base....

080722-N-7571S-001 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 22, 2008) A French F-2 Rafale launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during the first integrated U.S. and French carrier qualifications aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is participating in Joint Task Force Exercise "Operation Brimstone" off the Atlantic coast. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder/Released) 080721-N-7241L-009 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 21, 2008) A French Rafale M prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during combined French and American carrier qualifications. This event marks the first...

Rafale Strike Version Enters Operation With French Air Force By Michael A. Taverna 07/02/2006 11:22:38 PM SHOWTIME The Dassault Rafale F2 strike aircraft is poised to enter the French air force inventory, augmenting Europe's force-projection capability and opening a new chapter in the battle with rival U.S. and European manufacturers for lucrative foreign military sales contracts. The first F2 squadron stood up at the St. Dizier air base in eastern France last week, in the presence of a host of dignitaries led by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. The high-profile event underscored not only the operational and industrial importance of...