Popular Mechanics: Japan May Scrap Its Homegrown Fighter Jet
Tokyo is reportedly looking to modify a Western jet for its own purposes, probably the F-35.
Japan’s program to build its first homegrown fighter jet since World War II is reportedly dead, a victim of sky-high costs. Instead, the country will try to develop a local version of an existing fighter, a strategy that has had decidedly mixed results in the past. All of this is taking place in the shadow of two troubling trends: Japan's aging fighter fleet and a newly aggressive Chinese air force.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Japan would scrap its stealth fighter jet program, the Advanced Technology Demonstrator-Experimental (ATD-X). ATD-X produced a single developmental aircraft, known as X-2, to test key fighter technologies. But the staggering cost of fully developing a modern fighter jet, complete with engine, avionics, advanced weapons, and stealth technology, dampened Tokyo’s enthusiasm for the project.
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WNU Editor: The costs of developing your own modern fighter jet are staggering .... a fact that the Japanese have appeared to learn.
