Japan Chooses F-35 Fighter, China Eliminates J-7s

On December 21, the Japanese government plans to purchase 42 American F-35 Lightning II to replace the aging F-4 Phantoms of the Air Self-Defense Force. The first F-35s are slated for delivery in April 2012, and the defense deal specifies that Japan will make 40 percent of the parts used in assembling their F-35s.

Japan's air force has been in the market for a new fighter for several years, and for much of that time lobbied to receive the American F-22 Raptor. The F-22 and F-35 represent two very different fifth-generation fighter aircraft. While both incorporate cutting-edge stealth technology and are highly advanced multirole aircraft, the F-22 is an air superiority jet, meant primarily to shoot down enemy aircraft. The F-35 is primarily a strike aircraft, meant to attack ground targets with bombs and missiles.

Japan's air force is largely oriented around air defense, explaining their interest in the F-22. However, the US government has flatly refused to sell the F-22 to any foreign customer, leaving the F-35 as the only stealth fighter on the market. The F-35 is intended to replace Japan's F-4EJs, a 1960s era aircraft with 1980s upgrades and optimized for air defense. The Japanese are therefore replacing a venerable air superiority fighter with a super-modern strike aircraft, representing both an upgrade and a shift in capability.

The F-35 is one of only a few ultra-modern, fifth generation fighter aircraft currently in service. In addition to its stealth capability, the Japanese version of this fighter will also have the most advanced electronics and control features of any fighter in East Asia. Even though it is not an air superiority air craft per se, its air combat capability is considered second only to the F-22. It comes armed with a 25mm gatling cannon (departing from 20mm, the American standard for six decades), and the capability to carry nine tons of ordinance in two internal bays and on six external pylons. Using the external pylons negates any stealth value.

This development was influenced by the Chinese demonstration of their own stealth fighter design, the J-20, in January 2011. More recently, the Chinese also announced they were phasing out the last examples of their counterpart to the F-4, the J-7. A copy of the Soviet-designed MiG-21, the J-7 was manufactured in China as recently as 2008 for the export market.