JAPAN’S FIGHTER JET TENDER

The Japan Ministry of Defense has stated that it will launch a tender for 100 fighter jets as early as mid-July, in a deal which is anticipated to cost about $40 billion as Japan seeks to bolster its air defences amid tension with China over disputed maritime borders. In one of the biggest fighter jet contracts in years, a ministry spokesman said Japan will contact foreign and domestic defence contractors soon interest. People familiar with the tender said US firms Boeing and Lockheed Martin have been invited to take part in the project, dubbed the F-3 fighter jet programme, alongside Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, the prime domestic contractor. A final decision is likely to be taken in mid-2018, with deployment due at the end of the 2020s at the earliest.

Analysts say that Japan’s preference for an aircraft that can operate closely with the US military, considering their close ties, narrow down the options to US companies. Touted as a replacement for jets, the new home-grown aircraft will operate alongside Lockheed F-35 fighters that Japan has on order, as well as Boeing F-15Js jets that it is upgrading.