Japan like to produce F-22 domestically, US said No Way.

First US wants to sell F-22 raptors at 2 billion each to makeup the low numbers of US government purchased. So naturally they want to find some other buyers and they approach Japan.

Japan, like always, overly shrewd , wants the know-how of the fourth -generation fighter, proposed to license produce the raptors to reduce the cost. Of course US is not going compromise their leading edge tech to other countries even their allies, said No way and torn up the deal.

Could you provide details/ sources?

I think back in march '06 there were reports of Japan being interested in the Raptor, and a downgraded version was considered in the US for export. Have you updates on that?
And as I see it, licence-producing it would not necessarily make it cheaper. Because at first there's a licence fee to pay. Japans F-2 is an improved F-16C copy, and still costs $100M. The main reason for producing it in Japan, would be to support local industries, as is a common sense in Japan with such projects.
But are you sure you ment $2B each?? That would be the cost for an B-2. I've read Raptor fligh-away costs as $200-230M.
And, the Raptor is a 5th-gen fighter, or does japan count it in a different way?

The Raptor is a potant fighter and could pretty well fullfill Japans needs, but the obstacles (tech transfer) seem rather high to me. So they probably will have to stick with the F-2 and F-15J for a while.

At best Japan would purchase a modest number of F-22s, even if they were able to purchase/build them. However I doubt they'd go for replacing even a majority of the current Airforce with them - that would be left up to the F-35 in my opinion.

lilzz, I think something's gone wrong when you quoted the price-tag at $2 billion each - no one would buy at that price for very obvious reasons.

Japan could built its own indigenous 5th generation fighter. Depending on the whims of the U.S. govt, it may cancelled it like what happened to the FSX fighter project(it's too far advance of the F-16 at that time).


Concept model of proposed Japan stealth fighter.

As was mentioned earlier, I remember Japan trying to make it's own fighter program based on the F-16, but the U.S would not share Fly-By-Wire technology.

I also seem to remember an earlier topic here where it was mentioned that the U.S would only offer 'Neutered' export versions of the F-22 to...I forget if it was England or Australia, and basically they refused it. The U.S does not want to hand out this shiny new fighter technology,

Well that FS-X project beared friut. The outcome is the Mitsubishi F-2, operational since the end of 2000. Though it's no longer built. I think 76 aircraft were delivered.



A one year old article sais a sale of downgraded Raptors was considered back then.
(4th paragraph from above) is said the house lifted an export ban of the F-22 in June.
There are opinios that the F-35 may not be of first choice because Japan would prefer a two-engined aircraft to perform long-endurance, over sea flights.

coolieno99 said:

Japan could built its own indigenous 5th generation fighter. Depending on the whims of the U.S. govt, it may cancelled it like what happened to the FSX fighter project(it's too far advance of the F-16 at that time).

[qimg]http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/544/jpnstealthth0.jpg[/qimg]
Concept model of proposed Japan stealth fighter.

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The FSX controversy was over engine technology. The Japanese wanted to locally develop their own turbofan engine for the fighter, but they could not get the technology from the Americans, and as such, the project got canned. Why the Japanese never turned to the Europeans for engine technology to snub the US over the lack of cooperation from the Americans is beyond me.

This was the original FSX.



Japan had AESA radar, composite material, fly-by-wire, and RAM technologies during early 1990's. The only thing they lack was low-bypass turbo-fan engine technology. Being an occuppied country(by U.S.) Japan is limited in what they can do. I can't blame U.S. for squashing the FSX project, because the FSX has 1/3 the turning radius of the F-16; and probably incorporate all the advance technologies listed above.

Being an occuppied country(by U.S.) Japan is limited in what they can do.

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I did not know the US has occupied Japan. I thought this ended in the late 1950's. All kidding aside I'm sure you mean there are US forces stationed in Japan. As someone who was stationed in Japan, by no means imanginable are the US Forces occupying Japan.

Now, does the presense of US forces in Japan have an influnce on the Japanese government? Oh hell yes.

bd popeye said:

Now, does the presense of US forces in Japan have an influnce on the Japanese government? Oh hell yes.

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In more ways that people often think. In the past it made Japan somewhat complacent over its defence policy. Although it developed the JSDF, it was still banking on the US very heavily. That has started to change. Although the US will remain very important to Japanese security, Tokyo is now becoming more proactive defence-wise.