Interesting news a little while back with Lockheed Martin in town to get the F-35 Lightening-II RFP on track for Japan’s F-X.
First of all, here is an earlier story Boeing, Lockheed, BAE To Vie for Japan’s F-X I filed about the F-X procurement, which lays out some of the key issues.
Speaking to Japan F-35 Campaign Director John Balderston, it was truly impressive to see photos of the F-35 test flying, and the production line; the key message being whatever else you may have read, the F-35 is one hot flying machine.
Balderston’s message was three-fold about the F-35: sure, the program was re-scheduled, and it’s a complex machine, but he promised should Japan choose the F-35, LM will do its best to deliver by 2016, for an average price of $65 million- well below some of the costs we’ve seen, and local production. But, as I said in my article for Defense News below, there is a catch. My sources in Japan say that MHI really doesn’t mind which plane they build, as long as they get work.
However the deeper issue is technology transfer. Lockheed Martin seem to be offering more that just final assembly, but they are stopping short of licensed production. While MHI sees production here as critical to keep its military aerospace business going, strategically, Japan needs and wants in on the F-35′s stealth technology since the U.S. has already roped off the F-22.
A clue as to what sort of agreement might be the starting point for talks is here.
Of course behind that is the spin-on issue: as readers of Dick Samuels will know, Japan’s aerospace industry was rebuilt on the F-86 and T-33 with Lockheed supplying the machine tools to MHI and KHI (in fact the for the F-86 over 2,000 separate tool designs were transferred) that gave Japan its statistical quality control systems. (And a lot of great stories by one of my heroes, Chuck Yeager!)
Meanwhile Eurofighter and Boeing both have great offerings. If we forget that Japan feels it needs what is the highest technology solution to show China it means business, and that alliance issues mean that buying the F-35 will be the most comfortable diplomatic solution, the Eurofighter and Super Hornet can both fulfill Japan’s defense needs. BAE tell me that this RFP has been excellent- open and transparent and because of this, BAE and Boeing both feel that they are in with a fighting chance.
Anyway, here is the article I filed a few weeks back.