Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Japan to jointly develop new fighter jet with UK and Italy
TOKYO — Japan announced last week that it will jointly develop its next-generation fighter jet with the U.K. and Italy as it looks to expand defense cooperation beyond its traditional ally, the United States.
The Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet will replace the aging fleet of F-2s that Japan previously developed with the United States.
The nations will merge their current plans for development of next-generation planes — the F-X and Britain’s Tempest, a successor to the Eurofighter Typhoon — to produce the new combat aircraft for deployment in 2035. The deal will give Japan greater support in countering China’s growing assertiveness and allow Britain a bigger presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
A revised national security strategy, which is expected to be released this month, is predicted to allow Japan to develop preemptive strike capability and deploy long-range missiles. That’s a major and contentious shift away from Japan’s self-defenseonly policy adopted after its World War II defeat in 1945.
To counter growing threats from China and North Korea, Japan has been expanding its defense partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, with Southeast Asian countries and with Europe.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said the new aircraft will be a multirole stealth fighter superior to the F-35 and the Eurofighter, with advanced censors and networking. The warplane is expected to replace 94 F-2s in Japan, 144 Eurofighters in the U.K. and 94 Eurofighters in Italy, Japanese officials said.
Further details, including production targets, development cost and aircraft design, are still being discussed, officials said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party wants to further relax restrictions on Japanese arms exports and technology transfers so the jointly developed new fighters can be exported.
Japan eased an arms export ban in 2014 and created its own Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency a year later, seeking to beef up the domestic defense industry and promote joint technology research, development and sales with friendly nations. That strategy has made little headway since the government increased big-ticket purchases from the United States.
Japan initially considered Lockheed Martin as its partner in developing the next-generation fighter. But it dropped the plan, reportedly due to the U.S. company’s reluctance to share expertise key to stealth technology.
Japan and the U.S. will cooperate in “autonomous systems capabilities, which could complement Japan’s next fighter program,” the governments announced Friday.
Under the fighter jet agreement, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will partner with British defense contractor BAE Systems PLC. Italy’s Leonardo SpA will be a key player in the project. Japan’s IHI, Britain’s Rolls Royce and Italy’s Avio Aero will be in charge of its engine, while Mitsubishi Electric Co., Leonardo U.K. and Leonardo SpA will work on avionics, the Japanese side said.