Japan to develop next-generation stealth fighter - US approves sale of F35

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

日本、次世代ステルス戦闘機開発へ　米はＦ３５の売却承認

2020.07.10 Fri posted at 18:30 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 日本政府は１０日までに、世界最高水準の性能を持つ次世代のステルス戦闘機を開発する計画を明らかにした。航空自衛隊Ｆ２戦闘機の後継機として、２０３０年代の防空任務を担う見通しだ。

ＮＨＫによると、防衛省が自民党の国防議員連盟で発表した。エンジン２基を搭載した第６世代の戦闘機で、２０３１年度に量産初号機を製造するという。

空自には現在、米国のＦ１６を原型にしたエンジン１基のＦ２が約１００機所属している。

日本の２０年度の防衛予算のうち、２８０億円以上がこの次世代戦闘機のプログラムに割り当てられている。この中には戦闘機とともに運用可能なドローンの開発費用も含まれる。

防衛装備庁は次世代戦闘機が備え得る特徴として、データリンクにより複数の戦闘機が目標情報を共有できる統合火器管制システムや、米ステルス戦闘機Ｆ２２にみられるような内装型のウェポンベイ（兵器倉）、機体の旋回性能を向上させる推力偏向ノズルを挙げた。

河野太郎防衛相は先月、記者団に中国軍機の領空接近に空自の戦闘機が日々緊急発進（スクランブル）で対応していると述べ、日本の保有する戦闘機群に掛かる圧力に言及した。

一方、米国務省は９日、１００機を超える最新鋭ステルス戦闘機Ｆ３５の日本への売却を承認した。内訳は離陸に滑走路を使用するＦ３５Ａが６３機、短距離離陸・垂直着陸が可能なＦ３５Ｂが４２機となっている。売却額は推計で２３０億ドル。

米国防安全保障協力局は、この売却はアジア太平洋地域での政治的安定性と経済発展の力となる主要同盟国の安全保障を増強するものだと言及。米国の外交政策と国家安全保障の目標達成を支援するもので、「日本に対し強力で効果的な自衛能力の開発と維持で支援することは、米国の国益に極めて重要だ」とも述べた。

Translation

(CNN) By the 10th the Japanese government had announced plans to develop a next-generation stealth fighter with world-class performance. As a successor to the Air Self-Defense Force F2 fighter, it was expected to carry out air defense missions in the 2030s.

According to NHK, the Ministry of Defense announced it at the Liberal Democratic Party's National Defense League. As the 6th generation fighter equipped with two engines, the first mass-production of aircrafts would be in the year 2031.

The ASDF currently had about 100 one engine-F2 which was based on US F16 engines.

Of Japan's FY2020 defense budget, over 28 billion yen had been allocated to this next-generation fighter program. This included the cost of developing a drone that could operate with a fighter.

The Defense Equipment Agency had listed out the features that next-generation fighters could have, such as an integrated fire control system that allowed multiple fighters to share target information via a data link, an internal weapon bay (weapon storage) as seen in the Stealth fighter F22, and a thrust deflection nozzle that improved the turning performance of the aircraft.

 Last month, Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters that JASDF fighters were responding to the airspace approach of Chinese military aircraft by emergency launches (scramble) every day, and mentioned about the pressure they put on Japanese fighter groups.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State approved the sale of more than 100 state-of-the-art stealth fighter F35s to Japan on the 9th. The breakdown was 63 nos. of F35A aircraft that used the runway for takeoff; and 42 nos. of F35B aircraft that could make short distances and vertical landings. The sale price was estimated at 23 billion dollars.

The US Department of Defense and Security Cooperation said the sale would strengthen the security of its key allies, which were the energy source of political stability and economic development in the Asia-Pacific region, and said that " to assist Japan in developing and maintaining strong and effective self-defence capabilities is crucial to US national interests”.

              So, in a way I would say that the US has many friends globally. In Asia, countries such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are more than willing to spend a lot of money to buy weapon from the US for defense purpose. Globally in other areas, the US also has friends, it can “coerce” some English speaking countries to take action together, for example, to restrict using Huawei 5G products in their respective countries.