July 31, 2020 | International, Aerospace
by Jon Grevatt
The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) has confirmed plans to continue the local production of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
The move reverses a decision in late 2018 to cease local production at Japan's final assembly and checkout (FACO) facility in Nagoya and instead focus on the localised maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade (MRO&U) of F-35s. That move was previously prompted by the high cost of building the F-35s at the facility.
However, a spokesperson from the MoD told Janes that the new decision to continue building the aircraft at the Japanese FACO facility was influenced by the declining costs of producing the F-35 locally. Producing the aircraft locally, said the spokesperson, is now cheaper than importing the F-35 from the United States.
The spokesperson was speaking to Janes nearly three weeks after the United States government approved a potential USD23 billion deal to sell Japan an additional 105 F-35s.
This Foreign Military Sale means Japan will operate a total of 147 F-35s, becoming the second-largest operator of the aircraft in the world.
These aircraft will comprise 105 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A aircraft and 42 units of the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B.
The spokesperson said, “For the acquisition of F-35As in fiscal years (FY) 2019 and 2020... the Japanese MoD has decided to use domestic manufacturing at the FACO... It is confirmed that the unit cost of aircraft produced at the domestic FACO [facility] is less, compared to the unit cost of imported aircraft.”
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/japan-commits-to-local-f-35-production
February 16, 2022 | International, C4ISR
Cyril Dujardin, senior vice president and global head of digital security at France-based Atos, shared his perspective on how 5G will transform the European defense sector.
July 10, 2024 | International, Aerospace
July 26, 2018 | International, Naval
Jon Grevatt, Bangkok BAE Systems is moving ahead with its programme to transform naval shipbuilding facilities in South Australia into a digital shipyard that will support the construction of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) new Hunter-class frigates. The company was selected for the nine-ship frigate programme earlier in July – under the AUD35 billion (USD26 billion) Sea 5000 project – and will build the ships in collaboration with state-owned naval shipbuilder ASC from late 2020. The Hunter-class is a variant of BAE Systems' Type 26 frigate design, which the company is also building for the UK Royal Navy (RN). While contract negotiations are ongoing between BAE Systems and the Australian government to finalise the details of the Sea 5000 project, work to prepare Adelaide-based ASC's shipbuilding facilities is under way, with BAE Systems already committed to investing at least AUD100 million (USD74 million) to develop the proposed digital shipyard at which the ships will be built. Nigel Stewart, BAE Systems managing director for the Sea 5000 project, said the digital shipyard will be supported by an “unprecedented” transfer of intellectual property and technical data that will facilitate the development of local capability to both build and maintain the Hunter-class frigates over its 30-year life span. “The digital design of one of the world's most sophisticated ships will support the development of a continuous naval shipbuilding capability in Australia, ensuring that local industry can build the fleet of nine future frigates,” said Stewart. “The digital design will also ensure they can be upgraded and supported during their decades of service.” He added, “This is an unprecedented transfer of intellectual property that will also include all ship parts, materials, and systems used to build the Type 26 frigate. With this knowledge, Australian industry will gain the know-how needed to both build and optimise the ship over its life, potentially improving its flexibility and performance with bespoke local innovation and technology.” http://www.janes.com/article/81959/bae-systems-progresses-digital-shipyard-plan-for-australia