 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Tokyo (AFP) Jan 13, 2011 Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday suggested Japan should consider buying US fighter jets, during talks in Tokyo, as the country plans for new warplanes, a US official said. In a meeting with Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, Gates "suggested Japan consider three US planes to upgrade their fleet," the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-15 Eagle, the senior defence official told AFP. Gates offered that the Pentagon could provide Japan with an analysis of the merits of each aircraft, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Japan is taking stock of its defence hardware in the face of China's growing military might and assertive stance in the Pacific. Gates flew to Tokyo Wednesday after a visit to China, where his fence-mending talks were overshadowed by a Chinese stealth fighter test, which came sooner than US military officials had anticipated. During his visit to Beijing this week, Gates noted that Japan was looking for a new fighter aircraft. "And so that would give Japan the opportunity -- if they bought the right airplane -- to have a fifth generation capability. And I might have a few suggestions for them," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Fifth-generation" fighters are equipped with stealth, radar-evading equipment, and the F-35 -- which is still under development -- would meet that requirement. Lockheed Martin's F-35, the most expensive weapons programme in Pentagon history, has been plagued by cost overruns and technical delays, with the project expected to cost an estimated $382 billion. The United States is covering 90 percent of the cost of the F-35's development but has participation from Britain, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia. Other nations, including Israel and Singapore, have signed contracts to buy the aircraft. Japan initially aimed to acquire the F-22 stealth fighter to replace its ageing F-4EJ fighter fleet, but US law prohibits exports of the F-22 and the United States has announced a plan to halt production of the model. Japan has also studied other models such as the F/A-18 and F-15FX, and the Eurofighter, produced by a consortium of European manufacturers, as possible replacements for its fighter fleet.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Assange lawyers attack 'corrupt' Swedish sex caseLondon (AFP) Jan 11, 2011 British lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused Swedish prosecutors of "corrupt" behaviour in their efforts to extradite him over allegations of sex crimes, defence papers revealed Tuesday. His legal team also says there is a "real risk" that if extradited to Sweden, Assange may be sent on to the United States, where the papers say he could be detained at Guantanano Bay or even ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
