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TOKYO (AP) – Japan has selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as the prime contractor to develop its own next-generation stealth fighter, to be launched in the 2030s, the defense minister said on Friday.
Separately, Mitsubishi has announced that it is suspending its civilian aircraft project due to uncertainties for the travel industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The next-generation fighters, currently known as FX, are part of Japan’s modernization of its aging fleet of fighter jets as the country strengthens its military capacity to counter growing threats from China and the United States. North Korea.
The next-generation stealth aircraft will replace the F-2s that Japan co-developed with the United States. They are due to be withdrawn around 2035. The Defense Ministry is seeking 58.7 billion yen ($ 556 million) in the 2021 budget for research into the development of the aircraft.
“We will steadily advance the development of our next generation fighter jets,” Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters during the announcement.
Mitsubishi will decide on the other participants in the project, including manufacturers of avionics, engines and other parts. Japan is also planning to co-develop certain pieces with foreign entrepreneurs, notably those from the United States and Great Britain.
The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force has a fleet of around 290 fighter jets and is also replacing its F-4 fighters with dozens of F-35s to bolster its missile deterrence for concern of missiles and Korea’s nuclear program. North.
Japan’s purchases of US arms have helped reduce its trade surplus with the United States while responding to President Donald Trump’s demands to do more to pay for his defense. But the purchases have raised concerns that efforts to develop Japan’s fledgling defense industry are weakening.
Kishi said Mitsubishi’s decision on its commercial aircraft program has no bearing on the fighter jet development plan.
The company said it has decided to cut costs and focus on potential growth areas such as cleaner energy projects and cybersecurity, to increase profitability.
Work on the plane, called SpaceJet and formerly known as MRJ, will be put on hold, he said. Test flights began in 2015 and deliveries were scheduled for Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways.
Given the severe blow caused by the pandemic, demand for passenger planes is not expected to pick up until 2024, Mitsubishi said.
Mitsubishi Heavy, a supplier to U.S. aircraft maker Boeing, posted a loss of 57 billion yen ($ 548 million) for the first half of the fiscal year through September, a reversal from a profit of 29 billion yen the previous year.
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Yuri Kageyama, AP business writer, contributed.
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Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
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