THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 3, 2021 at 16:05 JST
The Air Self-Defense Force's F-2 fighter jet (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The government is forging ahead with plans to cooperate with Britain in developing the engine for the successor to the Air Self-Defense Force’s fleet of F-2 fighter jets.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga discussed the issue with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit held in England in June, according to several government sources.
They said Defense Ministry officials visited Britain late that month for talks with their counterparts to hammer out details.
Heavy equipment manufacturer IHI Corp. will cooperate with Rolls-Royce of Britain in developing the engine, the sources added.
But it remains to be seen if such joint cooperation will go ahead because the main jet assembly will be handled by a Japanese company in conjunction with a U.S. manufacturer.
The two-way cooperation is designed to not only cut down on costs, but also open up opportunities for future exports of the equipment.
The new fighter will replace the 91 F-2 jets that will begin decommissioning from about 2035. Under the Medium-Term Defense Program decided in late 2018, development of the next-generation fighter jet would be led by a Japanese company but involve international cooperation.
In 2020, the Defense Ministry chose Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. as the core company to lead the development project. The company in turn chose Lockheed Martin Corp. of the United States as its development partner.
Also in late 2020, the Defense Ministry announced its intended direction for international cooperation on technology of this kind. While cooperation with the United States would constitute the main arm of such endeavors, it said efforts were needed to work with other nations in developing the engine and electronic equipment on the fighter jet to reduce development costs and technological risks.
Officials with Lockheed Martin have already made several visits to Japan this year to discuss the project with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries officials.
A Defense Ministry source admitted there were concerns about whether it would be possible to separate development of the engine with a British company from overall development being undertaken with an American company.
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