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The US Air Force’s planned deployment of its newest stealth fighters to Japan has been postponed due to a computer problem, a US official said Feb. 13.
Twelve F-22A Raptors had been scheduled to fly to Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa from Hawaii on Feb. 10.
“We discovered a software problem in operating the navigation system,” said John Monroe, a spokesman at the base.
Japan’s defense ministry hopes to make a prototype of a next-generation stealth plane, the first new fighter jet designed by the officially pacifist country in 30 years, a report said July 24.
Japan has indicated it wants to buy F-22 Raptors, the latest U.S. Air Force jets built to evade radar detection at supersonic speeds.
U.S. law prohibits export of Raptors. But the United States flew Raptors to Japan earlier this year on their first foreign flight, showing its commitment to the two countries’ security alliance amid tensions with North Korea.
Japan and the United States already jointly design F-2 support fighters, but production is set to end in March 2012.
The Japanese government has not supported development of a domestic fighter aircraft since the F-1 support fighter jet in the 1970s.
F-15 fighter jets, which form the core of Japan’s fighter force, are being manufactured here under a license agreement with the United States.
The Yomiuri said development of Japan’s new prototype would likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars over 10 years.
The United States would be inclined to allow the sale of advanced stealth F-22 fighter jets to the Israeli Air Force if the State of Israel's security was in jeopardy, former US Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen told The Jerusalem Post Thursday night.
Originally posted by iskander
Now that is very interesting. Japan is willing to dump billions into its own stealth project, while Israel gets to buy our super expensive, best in class super fighter which we vowed not to export in the interests of our national security.
That price includes R&D, the flyaway cost for a raptor was aboput $117M, and I remember that recently there was an offer of 20 raptors for $1Billion. Just want to clear that up.
As of 2005 the production cost cap was $37.3 billion. Affordability concerns have, in part, led to the steady decrease in procurement quantities. Two major reviews of defense force structure and acquisition plans - the 1993 Bottom-Up Review and the 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) - significantly reduced F/A-22 quantities. OSD's "buy to budget" acquisition strategy essentially placed a ceiling on total program costs resulting in reducing quantities.
Ok. That article about Israel getting Raptors is dated April 2007. That was when we all thought the F-22 was going to be sold. Now that Congress has enforced the ban and multiple high-up people have said they don't want it to be sold, it probably won't be.
Don't worry, Israel won't get them, they're getting the F-35.
"We have not decided if we will build a prototype aircraft," says Japan's defence ministry, which confirms that the study started several months ago. "Of course, we are interested in next-generation technology and advanced fighters with stealth capabilities. But we have not decided on how we will get it."
The ministry must formally request funding, possibly for the 2008-9 fiscal year, if it wishes to advance the project, but it would take several years and require significant research and development investment to acquire the technology.
Domestic airframe manufacturers such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries would be involved, although it would be difficult for them to start from scratch without outside help.
Originally posted by bodrul
sorry for the off topic
but why do people say Israel will buy this and that?
they basicaly get the weapons given to them since they get billions in aid from the US to buy the gear so its more of Israel want to be given not sold
Originally posted by MarkLuitzen
because the Japanese Zero from WW2 was a great and super fast plane this newly to be designed plane will kick ass and will be better then the F22 ,
Originally posted by MarkLuitzen
because the Japanese Zero from WW2 was a great and super fast plane this newly to be designed plane will kick ass and will be better then the F22
, japan leads on technology
its much further with nano technology
and even that guy with its personal cloak is japanese. I think that this plane will be fast, undetectible and inviceble for the eye and for other systems.