Japan considers the Eurofighter
Published: Mon Mar 19th, 2007Source: en.rian.ru
TOKYO, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - Japan is considering the possibility of upgrading its outdated fleet of F-4 fighters with advanced European aircraft, an anonymous source at the Defense Ministry said Monday. Japan currently has about 60 F-4 Phantom strike fighters known for their extensive use by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines during the Vietnam war.
"We are considering the Eurofighter Typhoon or the French-manufactured Rafale among others," the source said.
"Japan believes that the U.S. F-22A Raptor fighter is a wonderful aircraft but its purchase has to be approved by U.S. Congress and that poses a serious problem," he said.
The export sale of the F-22, which is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jointly produced by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, is barred by the U.S. legislation.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role strike fighter aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers through Eurofighter GmbH.
The aircraft has formally entered service with the Air Force in four countries, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy, while Austria has purchased 18 Typhoons and Saudi Arabia has ordered 72 aircraft.
The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine multi-role fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. It has recently been adopted by the French Air Force and Navy, although no foreign sales have yet been made.
--- ends ---TAGS:
Recent News Articles
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
