Ministry of Defense to consider abandon domestic production of F2 successor aircraft, considering international joint development

Ryo AiharaMarch 5, 2018 

Ministry of Defense is retired from around 2030 Air Self-Defense Force for the successor to the fighter F2 of, entered the final adjustment in the direction to abandon the domestic development. We will submit information request (RFI) on the performance of F2 successor aircraft that Japan needs this week and request information from US companies during this week. The Ministry of Defense will continue to consider international collaborative development in the future, but there is also an alternative plan to purchase the latest US stealth fighter F 35 A. 　Air Self-Defense Force fighter of the F15 (about 200 aircraft), F4 (about 50 aircraft), there is an F2 other three models (about 90 aircraft), of F4 successor F35A (1 aircraft). F2 was jointly developed in Japan and the US and introduced in FY200. Currently it is deployed at Aza Misawa base and so on. As China and Russia 's military activities are becoming active around Japan, switching of F2 after aging is a big issue.