Japan asks US, UK to save F-3 stealth aircraft

Reuters news agency on March 8 quoted a Japanese military source as saying that this month Tokyo sent its third request for information (RFI) to defense contractors seeking proposals for the F-3 stealth fighter project.

Unlike the previous two rounds, this RFI was sent only to companies in the US and Europe, with a more detailed document for London and Washington. The Japanese defense official said:

"Japan expects to receive specific design proposals based on an existing aircraft model." The previous two RFIs did not yield any detailed proposals.

F-3 stealth aircraft test flight.

The representative said that the existing fighter aircraft frames that Japan can use include the F-35 Lightning II of Lockheed Martin Corp, or the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (Boeing); and the Eurofighter Typhoon of Europe...

British news agency said that Japan's urgent call for cooperation between the US and UK to jointly develop the F-3 stealth aircraft program stems from the fact that this project is facing the risk of being terminated at any time due to many different reasons.

The F-3 fighter is considered one of the world's most attractive military programs in the near future because it is estimated that it will cost about 40 billion USD to complete this program.

However, the Japanese government is currently considering the possibility of postponing this program despite the country's high demand for stealth aircraft. "The decision on the F-3 project will be postponed," a source from the Japanese Ministry of Defense said.

In addition to postponing the F-3 program, Japan is also considering two options: relying entirely on internal resources or seeking international cooperation. And Tokyo has quietly implemented the international cooperation option.

This information was reported by Jane's Defence Weekly magazine, currently Japan and the UK have reached a related agreement at the intergovernmental committee level. This deal will accelerate the stealth aircraft program Tokyo is implementing ATD-X (Advanced Technology Demonstrator - X or also known as F-3) with the first prototype X-2 taking off for the first time in April 2016.

Before agreeing to develop the F-3 program with Japan, in 2014, the UK and Japan established the Joint New Air-to-Air Missile (JNAAM) Center for cooperation in developing a new generation long-range air-to-air missile based on MBDA Meteor missile technology.

The UK and Japan plan to use a new joint missile on the F-35 and ATD-X fighters. Although Japan has not specifically stated the reason for the delay in the F-3 aircraft program, according to Jane's, Tokyo is at a standstill with this ambitious aircraft program.

The British magazine quoted a source from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. as saying that, up to the time of completing the first takeoff, the company's F-3 program had been repeatedly delayed in testing due to a number of reasons.

The delay is due to further testing of the aircraft’s restart system in the event of a sudden stop in flight, the source said, adding that in addition to changes to testing plans, the manufacturer may also be forced to seek additional funding to complete the project.

It is known that the F-3 aircraft program was born to replace the aging F-2 fighter jet line currently operating in Japan's air defense force.

According to plan, the first test flights of the F-3 aircraft model were to be carried out from 2014, but then it was moved to March 2015 and finally to April 2016.

Although the Japanese manufacturer said that the delay in testing was just a matter of further testing of the starting system, according to Jane's magazine, this is actually a serious problem that Japan is facing.

Specifically, if the aircraft's starting system does not work properly, the aircraft will lack the necessary maneuverability in air combat situations (such as diving, suddenly losing altitude, changing direction, etc.).

If the starting system has a problem, the plane is very likely to crash, not to mention being shot down by the enemy.

According to the little information revealed by Japan, the F-3 stealth aircraft program is built using stealth technology, including radar-scattering aerodynamic shapes, electromagnetic wave absorbing materials and the use of composite materials.

In addition, Japan's future fighter will be equipped with a multi-mode radar with an active phased array antenna, a remote control system, an electronic warfare system and a unified information exchange system.

According to many experts, Japan's F-3 fighter is even capable of making China's J-20 stealth fighter fail when confronted.