US approves sale of 105 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Japan

The US Department of State has approved a potential USD23.11 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Japan of 105 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft along with related equipment and services, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 9 July.

Tokyo, which has already ordered 42 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A aircraft, has requested to buy 63 more units of this variant along with 42 units of the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B.

A JASDF F-35A fighter aircraft. The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 105 F-35s to Japan, including 42 units of the F-35B variant. (JASDF)

Also featured in the proposed deal, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress, are 110 Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan engines, including five spares; electronic warfare systems; C4I systems, including navigation and identification; the Autonomic Logistics Global Support (ALGS) System and the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS); a flight mission trainer; weapons employment capability, and other subsystems, features, and capabilities.

The potential sale also includes F-35-unique infrared flares; reprogramming centre access and F-35 performance-based logistics; software development and integration; flight test instrumentation; aircraft ferry and tanker support; spare and repair parts; support equipment, tools and test equipment; technical data and publications; personnel training and training equipment; US government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics support.

The DSCA stated that while the proposed sale will augment the operational aircraft inventory of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defence capabilities, it “will not alter the basic military balance in the region”.