TOKYO – Japan is seeking proposals from defense companies for a newadvanced jet fighter, dubbed the F-3, based on existing Western aircraftmodels, sources say.
Japan this month issued a third request for information (RFI) to defensecompanies, seeking proposals for the new aircraft, to help kick-startdevelopment of the F-3 project, which is estimated to cost around $40billion.
Unlike the first two requests, this one went only to foreign companies inthe United States and Europe, with a separate, more detailed documentdelivered to London and Washington, according to the sources, who havedirect knowledge of the requests.
The requests for a design based on existing aircraft and the separatedocuments sent to the British and US governments have not been previouslyreported.
The sources declined to be identified because they are not authorized tospeak to the media.
Existing airframes Japan could use include the F-35 Lightning II stealthjet built by Lockheed Martin Corp or Boeing Co’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet;and the Eurofighter Typhoon, manufactured by a European consortiumincluding BAE Systems Plc.
Japan’s last domestically produced jet fighter, the F-2, which enteredservice in 2000, was built jointly by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) andLockheed Martin based on the US F-16 multi-role fighter. As Japan’s leadingfighter maker, MHI, which built the World War Two-era A6M Zero, wouldanchor the Japanese share of the F-3 project.
“We are considering domestic development, joint development and thepossibility of improving existing aircraft performance, but we have not yetcome to any decision,” a Ministry of Defense representative said.
Building Japan’s next-generation fighters based on a foreign aircraftalready in service could save money, but comes at the expense of losingadvanced features like stealthy shaping. Neither the Typhoon nor SuperHornet are designed to be near-invisible to radar.
Japan has so far struggled to come up with its own design for a newaircraft, raising questions over the country’s first jet fighter programsince the F-2.
Japan will need to begin preliminary talks with Washington soon if it wantsto include anything substantial about the F-3 in the new five-year defenseequipment plan, which begins in April 2019. Details on that plan will bereleased at the end of the year, another of the sources said.
Although some Defense Ministry officials and lawmakers have lobbied for adomestically-made aircraft to help sustain Japan defense companies hurt byincreased spending on US gear, finance officials have questioned whetherthat is cost-effective.
Opting for international cooperation should lower the cost of a new jet byexpanding the number of users, spreading the unit cost beyond Japan’s airforce. – Agencies