JASDF may be in the market for more F-35s

[Gamera]

Tuesday, 15 December 2020:
301st Hikoutai, JASDF, based at Misawa AB, Aomori Prefecture.

At Misawa AB, ceremony for JASDF second F-35 squadron, new 301st Hikoutai established.
Old 301st Hikoutai was F-4 squadron, based at Hyakuri AB, Ibaraki Prefecture.

301st Hikoutai added 180 soldiers to Misawa AB.

By 2020 November, Misawa AB had 21 F-35A.
301st Hikoutai and other F-35 squadron will share these F-35A.

By fiscal year 2024, Misawa AB will have 42 F-35A.

https://kahoku.news/articles/20201215khn000058.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/aomori/202 ... 10829.html

[spazsinbad]

Japan releases record-high budget, but not all programs made the cut
21 Dec 2020 Mike Yeo

"...plans for Japan to acquire four more Lockheed Martin F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing jets and two F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing jets over the next fiscal year will go ahead.

Japan has an eventual requirement for 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs, which makes it potentially the biggest operator of the Joint Strike Fighter outside of the United States. The country announced earlier this week that it selected Lockheed Martin to partner with local industry in the development of a next-generation fighter jet....

...The budget is for the forthcoming Japanese fiscal year, which starts April 1, 2021."

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia ... e-the-cut/

[Corsair1963]

Japan releases record-high budget, but not all programs made the cut
21 Dec 2020 Mike Yeo

"...plans for Japan to acquire four more Lockheed Martin F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing jets and two F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing jets over the next fiscal year will go ahead.

Japan has an eventual requirement for 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs, which makes it potentially the biggest operator of the Joint Strike Fighter outside of the United States. The country announced earlier this week that it selected Lockheed Martin to partner with local industry in the development of a next-generation fighter jet....

...The budget is for the forthcoming Japanese fiscal year, which starts April 1, 2021."

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia ... e-the-cut/

Makes you wonder. If, Japan is considering more F-35's. In place of the upgraded F-15's???

[charlielima223]

Makes you wonder. If, Japan is considering more F-35's. In place of the upgraded F-15's???

Would have been nice to see those F-15s get AESA radars. At any rate it seems right now the F-35 is replacing their F-4 fleet. I would guess that whatever future joint aircraft project Japan enters, that future aircraft would replace their F-2s and F-15s.

[doge]

The reason for stopped modernizing F-15JSI seems to be the shortage of special custom parts.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020 ... ation.html

Japan to drop FY 2021 budget plan for F-15 modification
KYODO NEWS - Dec 12, 2020
Japan has decided not to include spending in the fiscal 2021 budget on upgrading F-15 fighter jets to carry long-range cruise missiles to defend the southwestern island chain due to ballooning costs, government sources said Friday.
The decision not to appropriate the initially requested 21.3 billion yen ($205 million) for the year is sure to delay the planned completion in fiscal 2027 of upgrading 20 of the Air Self-Defense Force's F-15 aircraft.
The upgrade enabling the fighter jets to carry U.S.-made anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 900 kilometers is aimed at giving the ASDF the capability to strike from outside an enemy's range, at a time of increasing assertiveness by China around Japanese territories.
The initial cost is now expected to increase five-fold as supplies of necessary electrical component parts are running short and U.S. manufacturers will need to build new production lines to make them, according to the sources.
Japan has already earmarked a total of 80.2 billion yen since fiscal 2019 for the program.

[doge]

Ccheaper than imported finished products. WoW.
http://www.jwing.net/news/33556 (Language is Japanese. Used Google Translate.)

Minister of Defense Kishi acquires F-35A from domestic FACO "cheaper"
2020.12.23
Under consideration at the time of estimation, 4 aircraft will be procured for 39.1 billion yen
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said in the Ministry of Defense's 2021 budget proposal that the acquisition of F-35A was "a domestic company's final assembly and inspection is a cheaper means than importing finished machines. It was confirmed, "he explained that he would continue to procure from domestic FACO. This was decided by the National Security Council, and the Cabinet agreed, "the acquisition law will be changed to manufacturing with the participation of domestic companies."
The Ministry of Defense plans to acquire four F-35A aircraft for 39.1 billion yen in FY2009. It was decided to procure from domestic FACO. At the time of the budget request in September, it was under consideration along with the import of finished machines from overseas, but the domestic FACO was given a boost.
In FY2008 procurement, 3 aircraft were acquired for 28.1 billion yen. Initially, it was trying to stop procurement from domestic FACO, saying that importing finished machines was cheaper than domestic FACO. In Japan, by advancing work proficiency and improvement and reducing man-hours, the cost of final assembly and inspection has been reduced to the same level as imports. At the time of delivery, it was decided to procure from Japan by making the transportation preparation and test flights that occur cheaper.

[doge]

JNAAM
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news ... evelopment

Japan moves ahead with JNAAM co-development
22 DECEMBER 2020 by Kosuke Takahashi
As part of its fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget, the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on 21 December approved plans to move ahead with the co-development of a Joint New Air-to-Air Missile (JNAAM) with the United Kingdom.
Specifically, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has secured JPY1.0 billion (USD9.7 million) to fund development costs related to the trial production of a prototype of the JNAAM, an MoD official confirmed during a 21 December press briefing.
The joint programme transitioned to a prototype stage in FY 2018 and is expected to finish trial production of the prototype during FY 2022, according to MoD documents. Following this, the two countries will evaluate the performance of the missile and then decide whether to put the weapon into mass production.

The current joint Japan-UK research project, initiated by the two nations in 2014, is scheduled to conclude by the end of FY 2023, which is March 2024 in Japan.
Janes understands that the UK missile technologies included in the programme relate to MBDA’s Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM).
On the Japanese side, the MoD is looking to integrate advanced radio frequency (RF) seeker technologies developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation for the AAM4B missile, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy and performance of the BVRAAM and supporting the development of the JNAAM.
A Mitsubishi Electric Corporation spokesperson in Tokyo declined to comment to Janes on specifics of the programme, noting that, “it is normal for the company not to refer to any national defence projects”.

[spazsinbad]

Misawa Air Base F-35A training 17 Feb 2021 from ALERT5

2021.2.17 三沢基地 F-35A アラート訓練！！ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSFzVGgWTL4

[Corsair1963]

Does anybody know when the USAF 35th Fighter Wing (13th & 14th FS) are going to convert to the F-35A???

[loke]

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force is currently upgrading its fleet to F-35 stealth fighters, but they are not appropriate for scrambling -- an act which aims to show off a country's military presence to foreign aircraft in order to deter them from entering its airspace.

Reducing the number of scrambles is likely to be aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing the burden on pilots. It is also expected to allow the ASDF to increase high-level training with the F-35 jets.

China has ramped up its military activities in the East China Sea since the Japanese government put under state control part of a cluster of islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku and China the Diaoyu, in September 2012.

The Japanese government scrambled fighter jets against Chinese aircraft a record 851 times in fiscal 2016, and 675 times in fiscal 2019. But under the new restrictions, it scrambled jets 331 times in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from April, 192 times less than the same period the previous year.

The ASDF will monitor the nationality and route of aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone set up outside its airspace using radar sites and airborne early warning systems.

Military personnel will be on watch 24 hours a day so fighter jets can be immediately dispatched to respond to any potential air threats.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021 ... -eyed.html
?? Why are the Japanese F-35 not "appropriate" for scrambling?

[ricnunes]

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/03/ef1d2ba18bec-japan-scrambling-jets-less-against-china-as-more-f-35-deployment-eyed.html
?? Why are the Japanese F-35 not "appropriate" for scrambling?

Perhaps because the article was written by a "soul mate" of yours??

Anyway, Norwegian, Italian and other nations F-35s don't have any problems scrambling and have shown to be more than "appropriate for scrambling" even when operating from remote locations such as Iceland.


P.S - The Gripen E can't even perform interceptions or "scrambles" as we speak.

[XanderCrews]

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force is currently upgrading its fleet to F-35 stealth fighters, but they are not appropriate for scrambling -- an act which aims to show off a country's military presence to foreign aircraft in order to deter them from entering its airspace.

Reducing the number of scrambles is likely to be aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing the burden on pilots. It is also expected to allow the ASDF to increase high-level training with the F-35 jets.

China has ramped up its military activities in the East China Sea since the Japanese government put under state control part of a cluster of islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku and China the Diaoyu, in September 2012.

The Japanese government scrambled fighter jets against Chinese aircraft a record 851 times in fiscal 2016, and 675 times in fiscal 2019. But under the new restrictions, it scrambled jets 331 times in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from April, 192 times less than the same period the previous year.

The ASDF will monitor the nationality and route of aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone set up outside its airspace using radar sites and airborne early warning systems.

Military personnel will be on watch 24 hours a day so fighter jets can be immediately dispatched to respond to any potential air threats.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021 ... -eyed.html
?? Why are the Japanese F-35 not "appropriate" for scrambling?

FTFA:

Reducing the number of scrambles is likely to be aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing the burden on pilots. It is also expected to allow the ASDF to increase high-level training with the F-35 jets.

[element1loop]

The situational awareness of F-35 makes it the jet to scramble. There is nothing comparable that can also inform the pilot(s), and entire network, all commanders, and every ground or surface sensor and weapon, and provides early warning, precise vectors and target quality tracks the moment they're in the air and climbing-out. They also have the added fuel range and loiter time to allow tankers and AEW&C4 support to get up. Why would a Western, or aligned country, want something less than that in an interceptor? Nice if it was faster and higher, but nothing else provides the better data flow and logs everything. That said, what else has its low-drag and long-legs?

If an intruder can see you coming they can change course and evade interception. If they don't see you coming they will be easier to intercept.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force is currently upgrading its fleet to F-35 stealth fighters, but they are not appropriate for scrambling -- an act which aims to show off a country's military presence to foreign aircraft in order to deter them from entering its airspace.

This is irrational. The fact F-35s are likely in the airspace and approaching, and also likely within BVR range, and a single aircraft may show itself WVR and contact via comms, so you know they're there, and others you won't even see, plus you're almost certainly going in the drink if declared hostile ... is deterring and intimidating ... presuming you even reach sea or ground level while still alive.

That's an incredible strength and advantage, it's ludicrous for the author to suggest this is a 'weakness'. Ever heard the saying, "If you can be seen, you can be shot at"? This saying applies well to Gripen-E, which delineates the category, "Can't run, and can't hide." Smoking wreckage also doesn't exhibit good turn or climb authority.

[Corsair1963]

As usual the media either get it wrong or make wild assumptions or both! So, according to their logic. Because Japan is cutting back on intercepts. The F-35 must be ill-suited to the task....



Funny, F-35's perform QRA (Alert 5) all of the time and have been wildly successful at it.......


Also, maybe Japan is cutting back on scrambles that don't enter their Air Space. Because it is wildly expensive and just burning up flight time and wearing out planes/crews......

[XanderCrews]

As usual the media either get it wrong or make wild assumptions or both! So, according to their logic. Because Japan is cutting back on intercepts. The F-35 must be ill-suited to the task....



Funny, F-35's perform QRA (Alert 5) all of the time and have been wildly successful at it.......


Also, maybe Japan is cutting back on scrambles that don't enter their Air Space. Because it is wildly expensive and just burning up flight time and wearing out planes/crews......

There's one fighter in Japan that can do what the F-35 can do, and any other fighter can do a scramble/escort. easy call