Japan has selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop the next generation of stealth fighters in the country, for launch in the 2030s, according to Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi, and separately, Mitsubishi announced that it will suspend its civilian aircraft project due to the doubts surrounding the travel industry due to the Corona virus pandemic.
The next-generation fighters, now known as the F-X, are part of Japan’s modernization of its fleet of legacy combat aircraft as the country builds its military capacity to counter the growing threats from China and North Korea.
The next-generation stealth aircraft will replace the F-2s jointly developed by Japan and the United States, and they are slated to be retired around 2035 and the Ministry of Defence is seeking 58.7 billion yen ($ 556 million) in the 2021 budget to research the plane’s development.
