Forum: General F-35 Forum

IN FOCUS: Tokyo casts wary eye on Chinese airpower developments Greg Waldron 01 Aug 2012

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... ts-375007/

"A whitepaper published by Japan's Ministry of Defense has shed light on Tokyo's views of military aviation developments in China and its decision earlier this year to select the Lockheed Martin F-35A for its 42 aircraft F-X requirement.

Tokyo's annual Defense of Japan whitepaper discusses Japan's strategic environment and security challenges....

...The whitepaper lists four main criteria for its selection of the F-35A: performance, cost, industry participation, and logistical support.

It says that mathematical analysis indicated that the F-35A was the best performer and that it had obtained "a good balance of high scores in aircraft performance, fire control capability, electronic warfare capability, stealth target detection capability (air-to-ground attack capability, etc) and all other evaluation criteria".

Although the F-35A was second to the Super Hornet in purchase costs and second to the Typhoon in lifetime fuel costs, it actually won on a cost basis owing to the fact that it is already compatible with Japan's air-to-air refuelling fleet, indicating that the F-35A buy will obviate any requirement to modify the nation's tankers.

All three types did well under industrial participation, while there was fierce competition under the logistical support criterion. Here, the F-35A won based on the aircraft's ability to identify failures in greater detail, as well as "the function to indicate the expected time to replace components"...."

Best to read the entire article at URL.

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Last edited by popcorn on Aug 02, 2012 - 11:52 PM; edited 1 time in total

Nice to see that the Japanese,appreciate the work that has gone into making the F-35 easier to maintain than legacy jets, earning it top marks vs. the competition.

Good to know that the fat bird performances better than Typhoon, and costs better than Super Bug.

Are you referring to the F-18 as the Super Bug..............and if so why did it get that name?????

Hornet = 'Bug'; Super Hornet = 'Super Bug'. Sometimes referred to as a 'Shornet' also.

AND... "Rhino: slang for the F-4 Phantom back in the day - presently slang for the F/A-18-E or F Super Hornet." http://goatlocker.org/resources/nav/navyslang.pdf

edpop wrote:

Are you referring to the F-18 as the Super Bug

Only models E and F, and arguably G although that's not usually what people mean when they say that. Certainly not A-D.

Models A-D ("Hornet") didn't involve major changes in the plane's body. Starting at model E/F ("Superhornet"), they redid a bunch of it, making it bigger (to carry more stuff) and changing its shape in various places, some for aerodynamic effects and some to reduce radar signature. That's why these models get the "super" to distinguish them from the original plain-hornet models. (I don't know why it seems that nobody calls them "Big Bugs", the most obvious nickname for them to me.) Most planes never get this much of a change going from one model to the next, but this was an alternative to something completely new.

Model G is primarily the F type of body, but carries electronic gadgets where an F would carry some of its bombs or missiles.

The original Hornet model bodies are not being produced anymore. What is available for some countries to consider buying new now is only the more recently developed, larger type.

Don't forget the unflattering Super Slow Hornet.. Very Happy

U.S. stealth jets may cost 50% more Kyodo Sep. 6, 2012

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120906b3.html

"Each F-35 stealth jet that Japan buys from the United States in fiscal 2013 will be 50 percent more expensive than in the current year, according to Defense Ministry officials.

The ministry cited lower production efficiency for the price hike — which will see the acquisition cost soar to ¥15.4 billion from ¥10.2 billion per aircraft — and plans to buy two F-35s in the next fiscal year, the officials said Tuesday.

To this end, the ministry will seek ¥30.8 billion to cover the acquisition costs in the fiscal 2013 budget request it must submit by Friday, they added.

Japan plans to purchase a total of 42 F-35s and signed a contract to acquire the first four at a price of around ¥10.2 billion each in fiscal 2012. The four aircraft are scheduled for delivery by fiscal 2016. Last December, Japan announced it had selected the F-35 to replace the Air Self-Defense Force's aging fleet of F-4s and become its next-generation fighter jet."

Sorry, but I have to throw the BS flag on that play. There is no way that the URF price went up 50% and they must have changed the scope of the order, not just the number of fighters. One of the cornerstones of the JSF program is that all the F-35s for any one year are ordered from LM as a single order from the JPO. For the above to be true, all F-35s ordered would have had to go up 50% which did not happen.

Perhaps the 'acquisition cost' includes a bunch of stuff needed that the Japanese forgot about earlier and 'to save face' they again blame someone else. Very Happy

¥15.4B, about $196.4M, in today's rate.

I wonder if the Japanese took a long hard look at the F-18E Combat Radius of 390 nmi vs the F-35A's 584 nmi? That 50% increase in range is a lot.

Why don't they buy some B models? They have flat-top amphibs of their own and it would make joint operations with US LHAs possible.

'PhillyGuy' says: "Why don't they buy some B models? They have flat-top amphibs of their own and it would make joint operations with US LHAs possible." Just may well happen in the future but one step at a time. In the same way might happen in Oz but let us not go down that well trodden path again. We will see. The USMC will demonstrate for everyone just how good the F-35B is on a flat deck and then the Brits will do it on CVFs with the Italians and Spanish also. Plenty of time for extra F-35B orders in good time. Very Happy

Forum: General F-35 Forum

Tokyo casts wary eye on Chinese airpower developments [F-35]