Japan "likely to pick F-35 fighter" this week

Updated report:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_FIGHTER_DEAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-13-03-29-02



Japan "likely to pick F-35 fighter" this week


By Tim Kelly and Kiyoshi Takenaka
Reuters – 3 hrs ago....Email

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will likely pick Lockheed Martin's F-35 jet as its next frontline fighter, media reported on Tuesday, which may help end six decades of isolation for the country's defense contractors and bolster its military against growing Chinese might.

The government will choose between two U.S. models -- the F-35 and the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet -- and Europe's four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon, at a meeting of the national security council on Friday, the Nikkei business daily said.

The date of the planned meeting could not be confirmed with government officials and chief cabinet spokesman Osamu Fujimura said no decision had been made. The Pentagon's F-35 program office also said it had not received any word from Japan.

Analysts say the purchase is potentially worth $8 billion.

The hope for Lockheed is that assembling the F-35 in Japan will spur the pacifist nation to lift a ban on military equipment exports, allowing contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compete as suppliers for the fighter.

"If the government chooses to go forward and relax the (export ban) we believe there is a very strong case for participating in the F-35 program," said Dave Scott director of international business development for the F-35.

While the most expensive of the three, the F-35 leads the others due to its "overwhelmingly superior performance" and stealth capabilities, the Nikkei said.

To compete against Lockheed's fifth-generation technological edge, Boeing is offering as much as 80 percent of the construction to local makers, with Eurofighter promising 95 percent for their fourth-generation designs.

THE LURE OF JAPAN TECH

While each maker disagrees on the merits of their competing bids, all agree that Japan has technology they could use. And for U.S. military planners juggling with smaller budgets, widening out into a more competitive supply chain may let it arm itself more cheaply.

Although Japan is the world's sixth-biggest military spender, it often pays more than double other nations for the same equipment because local export-restricted manufacturers can only fill small orders at a high cost.

Removing the ban would stretch its defense purse further as military spending in neighboring China expands.

This year, Asia's biggest economy raised military outlays by 12.7 percent. That included money for its own stealth fighter, the J-20, which made its maiden flight in January.

Fielding the F-35 would put Japan a step ahead of China.

Please read continued part 2 of article at link below:


http://news.yahoo.com/japan-likely-pick-f-35-fighter-week-075453102.htm

Editor's note: Your Probate Shark believes that the F-35 is a wise investment for Japan's security.  This aircraft will be able to shoot the wings off of any piece of commie junk that dares to challenge it. The F-35 technology will be ahead of any competitors for at least the next 20 years.  Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com

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