Lockheed Martin Has Provided The Japanese Government With Intel On How The F-22 Raptor Is Designed

A Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter at the Royal International military air show at Fairford, Britain, on July 8, 2016. © Reuters

Nikkei Asian Review: F-22 technology offered to Japan for next-generation fighter

Lockheed plays into Washington's strategy of using weapons to balance trade

TOKYO -- U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin has approached Japan with plans for a next-generation fighter jet based on its elite F-22 stealth fighter, demonstrating both Washington's trust in Tokyo as a defense partner and its eagerness to balance the scales on trade with expensive equipment.

The advanced aircraft would enter service around 2030, when Japan is set to start retiring its fleet of F-2 fighters. It would combine elements of the F-22 and Lockheed's smart F-35 stealth fighter. Developing a new fighter typically takes more than 10 years.

The Japanese government has pegged the total cost of its next-generation fighter project at around 6 trillion yen ($55 billion). This includes 1.5 trillion yen for development and another 1.5 trillion yen for acquiring around 100 of the jets, in addition to costs such as maintenance and decommissioning.

Tokyo will decide as early as this year whether to accept Lockheed's offer so that the government can draw up a medium-term defense plan that would begin in fiscal 2019.

Read more ....

Update #1: Lockheed Martin Japan Fighter Proposal Based On F-22, Report Says (Aviation Week)
Update #2: Lockheed Shares Coveted F-22 Designs With Tokyo (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: Talk about trusting the Japanese. This is a major reversal from the U.S..