Japan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Janiz

Senior Member
JS Izumo is off for sea trials this morning! Here's a video of her doing first steps on her own

[video=youtube;jsxqjRbuk18]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsxqjRbuk18[/video]​

And few pictures for all of those who love warships! Pictures are big so use Right Click/Show Image to view it in full resolution.

XFv16EF.jpg

nrCXF4n.jpg

i9gfU2q.jpg

tTK2b2B.jpg
 
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
JS Izumo is off for sea trials this morning! Here's a video of her doing first steps on her own

And few pictures for all of those who love warships! Pictures are big so use Right Click/Show Image to view it in full resolution.

tTK2b2B.jpg
Interesting.

Two Phalanx and two SeaRams.

We knew that, but they went ahead and put one of the Phalanx CIWS on the flight deck forward. Supposedly there was a sponson on the port side for that so that the flight deck could be free.

I wonder if this is temporary and can be moved at a later date, so that the political statement can continue to be made that these will not be used for any fixed wing aircraft.

SamuraiBlue...you have any info on this?
 
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Blackstone

Brigadier
I wouldn't put much thought to it.
I believe I heard Mr. Onodera, Minister of Defense, made a comment about wanting an Amphibious assault ship after taking a tour of at San Diego. It's linked to the French Mistral delivery to Russia. France is facing a problem of whether they should deliver the Mistral to Russia which conflict with the present EU embargo against Russia over the Ukraine intervention problem.
Japan is reaching out a helping hand hinting that Japan will consider accepting those ships if France has no choice but to construct them but can't deliver due to the embargo.

Helping hand has nothing to do with Japan wanting more offensive platforms, especially assets that can invade islands and coasts. The whole thing has more to do with Japan's long-term plan to normalize their military from a so-called "defensive" force to one that can project more and more power on other nation's shores.

IMHO, it's a necessary move by Japan, since going forward it can't be certain of American military rescue should it get into conflicts. Conversely, it's good for America too, since the faster Japan gets out from US security guarantees, the better off US is. I hope to see lots more new weapon systems from Japan in the next couple of decades.
 

Janiz

Senior Member
I hope to see lots more new weapon systems from Japan in the next couple of decades.
The only offensive weapon that Japan could secure in the scenario you predict are atomic bombs and ballistic missiles for security developed in the span of, let's say, a single year?

I like your input but don't think it will be any other way around. Japan isn't Ukraine and it's money knows what's the best solution for the Japanese people. An aim constant for centuries.
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
The only offensive weapon that Japan could secure in the scenario you predict are atomic bombs and ballistic missiles for security developed in the span of, let's say, a single year?

I like your input but don't think it will be any other way around. Japan isn't Ukraine and it's money knows what's the best solution for the Japanese people. An aim constant for centuries.

Quite frankly, I don't believe US and China can get on with it, as long as there's a defensive alliance between US and Japan. The solution is for US to end her absolute guarantee for Japan's defense, and that's not going to happen until Japan feels it could defend itself against China. The logical outcome is for Japan to rearm with the best it can acquire, and it lead to Japan building nuclear weapons. Only after Japan feels safe enough to defend itself can US end the defense guarantees and have better relations with China.
 

Skywatcher

Captain
Helping hand has nothing to do with Japan wanting more offensive platforms, especially assets that can invade islands and coasts. The whole thing has more to do with Japan's long-term plan to normalize their military from a so-called "defensive" force to one that can project more and more power on other nation's shores.

IMHO, it's a necessary move by Japan, since going forward it can't be certain of American military rescue should it get into conflicts. Conversely, it's good for America too, since the faster Japan gets out from US security guarantees, the better off US is. I hope to see lots more new weapon systems from Japan in the next couple of decades.

EDIT: Never mind, misread the post.
 
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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Japan again looks to get domestic fighter jet off ground

Asian Review -- TOKYO -- The Japanese government is embarking on an ambitious quest to develop an entirely domestic fighter jet for the first time since the end of World War II.
It will work with major defense contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI on the project, which is a milestone in Japan's defense procurement policy. The project will start in earnest in fiscal 2015, with work on a prototype engine and assessments of the aircraft's stealth capabilities. The outlook for the costly undertaking is murky, however, given that the U.S. has never supported Japan's efforts to develop a fighter on its own.
The first big step in the project will take place in January, when an aircraft mounted with a test engine is scheduled to fly for the first time. The engine was developed jointly by the Ministry of Defense and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and will serve as the basis for the fighter's prototype engine.
The goal is to develop a light and powerful engine by combining components that have been developed separately, including a high-pressure turbine and a fuel system.
IHI, which is helping to develop the engine, is using ceramic composites for the turbine in an industry first. The composite is lighter than the nickel alloy traditionally used in turbines and can withstand temperatures up to 1,400 C. The manufacturer hopes to use the material for engines on passenger jets in the future.
Bitter memories
The defense ministry's decision to develop the engine first is a reflection of Japan's unhappy history when it comes to indigenous fighter jets. A previous project was abandoned in the face of U.S. opposition in 1987. The U.S. balked at Japan developing its own fighter to replace the F-1, arguing that Japan lacked the technology to develop its own jet engine. It insisted on joint development based on the U.S. F-16.
With the Soviet threat in mind, the Defense Agency -- now the Ministry of Defense -- had envisioned a high-performance fighter that could skim the surface of the sea to avoid detection and knock out enemy ships. But U.S. Air Force officers pressured officials from Japan's Defense Agency to abandon the idea.
Mitsubishi Heavy and other Japanese defense contractors had the technology to produce sophisticated radars, fuselages and missiles. The only component Japan was unable to develop on its own was the engine. The agency considered using U.S.-made engines for the jet. Japanese defense officials interpreted U.S. coolness to the initiative as a signal that it would not supply engines for the aircraft if it went ahead on its own. In the end, they opted for joint development.
"Back then, we thought the U.S. was urging us to drop the project simply because Japan didn't have the necessary technology," said Masahiro Yasue, who was director general of the defense ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute at the time. "But later we realized the U.S. was worried about Japan's acquisition of advanced technology for fighter jets," said Yasue, who is now an adviser with Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Staying on top
At that time, Japan's relations with the U.S. were warm, thanks to the strong personal ties between Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and President Ronald Reagan. Even so, Washington didn't allow Japan, its key security ally, to develop its own fighter. Washington was determined to maintain its supremacy in fighter aircraft, which are crammed with state-of-the-art technology.
Many U.S. officials also subscribed to the idea that the U.S.-Japan security treaty prevented Japan from becoming a major military power, and they wanted to keep it that way.
Japan again came under pressure from Washington in its choice of a successor to the aging F-4 fighter in the early 2000s. Japan had asked to buy the F-22, which has cutting-edge stealth features. But the U.S. feared leaks of sensitive technologies and offered Japan the less powerful F-35 instead.
Our turn
These episodes have fired Japanese defense officials' desire for a 100% Japanese fighter. Harukazu Saito, chief of staff at the Air Self-Defense Force, voiced hopes for the new fighter project, saying, "We can respond more quickly to an unpredictable situation that might happen to our fighters if they are made domestically than in the case of foreign-made fighters, and we can operate domestically made fighters more smoothly."
The ASDF recently set up a task force to consider the specifications for a successor to the F-2. Although the envisioned Japanese fighter would not match the F-22 in terms of stealth capabilities, it should outperform the F-35, which the ASDF now has in its fleet.
Stealth aircraft avoid detection using a variety of advanced technologies that reduce their radar signature. The shape of the fuselage and body coating technology are crucial to making planes stealthy.
If it develops its own technologies for stealth aircraft, the Japanese defense industry could export related equipment and improve its leverage in joint development projects with foreign manufacturers. Technologies developed for military purposes could also be applied to civilian commercial use.
The joint development of the F-2 fighter by Japan and the U.S. has produced the radar technology used in collision-avoidance systems for cars and electronic toll collection (ETC) systems. The carbon fiber composite material developed for the fighter is used in Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner.
But if a purely Japanese fighter is to take to the sky, other hurdles must be overcome. One is the huge development cost, which has been estimated at more than 1 trillion yen ($9.1 billion).
As drones have become more and more widespread, some experts argue pouring resources into developing a conventional fighter is anachronistic.
"It would not be realistic for Japan to try to develop a fighter on its own," said Masato Nagase, president of Global Insight, a defense consulting firm in Tokyo. "Japan should instead seek an international joint development project under its own initiative," he said.


I will now get back to bottling my Malbec
 

SamuraiBlue

Captain
Basically all the participating party developing F-2 on Japan side was left with a very bad taste in their mouth being shafted by the US.

There were three sticking problems with the ill fated F-2 program with a huge trade imbalance between Japan and the US that influenced the mind set of the US defense contractors, will we be next?

The problems were;

  1. Strong arming Japan into incorporate Carbon composite into the structure of the plane which was a first.
  2. Not releasing the source codes in controlling the F-16 resulting to Japan developing it from scratch.
  3. the US taking all research results and manufacturing know how that Japan developed in manufacturing the F-2 with no benefit on Japan side.

This led to massive budget overruns that placed the government and the then Defense Agency over the fire in the political arena. While leaving Japanese contractors obtaining little experience in designing and developing the engine that they thought to seek at the start of the program when initially it was a purely domestic program.
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
Basically all the participating party developing F-2 on Japan side was left with a very bad taste in their mouth being shafted by the US.

There were three sticking problems with the ill fated F-2 program with a huge trade imbalance between Japan and the US that influenced the mind set of the US defense contractors, will we be next?

The problems were;

  1. Strong arming Japan into incorporate Carbon composite into the structure of the plane which was a first.
  2. Not releasing the source codes in controlling the F-16 resulting to Japan developing it from scratch.
  3. the US taking all research results and manufacturing know how that Japan developed in manufacturing the F-2 with no benefit on Japan side.
This led to massive budget overruns that placed the government and the then Defense Agency over the fire in the political arena. While leaving Japanese contractors obtaining little experience in designing and developing the engine that they thought to seek at the start of the program when initially it was a purely domestic program.

Samurai, having the items you listed above would have been helpful, but there's something about doing one's own R&D and developing one's own hardware and software that gives one the kind of security and independence not available if great aide was given. Also, developing one's own gear means no strings could be attached. I think Japan is only disadvantaged in the short-term by what you called US "shaft," and will likely gain more in the long-run.
 
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