TSAMTO, June 22. Anonymous representatives of the Japanese government on June 19 told national media that Japan is considering abandoning previously announced plans to purchase American long-range anti-ship missiles to equip the F-15 fighter jets of the Air Self-Defense Force.
According to Kyodo News, the change in plans is due to a sharp increase in the cost of implementing this program. However, an official decision has not yet been made.
The purpose of the acquisition of advanced long-range anti-ship missiles LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile) manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation was to provide the Air Self-Defense Forces of Japan with the ability to strike from a long range beyond the reach of enemy weapons.
The purchase is related to the increase in China's military power and the presence of territorial disputes in the region. The Defense Ministry said the missiles, which have a launch range of 900 km, are needed to increase the ability to defend the Nansei Islands (Ryukyu Archipelago) in the East China Sea.
According to official sources, if the purchase plans are changed, the government will also consider reducing the number of F-15 aircraft that are planned to be upgraded. Currently, the Self-Defense Air Force has about 200 F-15s, 70 of which are planned to be upgraded with new missiles, including LRASM and JASSM. The costs of modernizing the fighters were not included in the budget for 2021, since the government intended to allocate funds after agreeing on the costs with the American side. The government estimates that opting out of the acquisition would save tens of billions of yen.
The cost of the upgrade, which allows F-15 fighters to carry LRASM missiles, was initially estimated by the US side at 80 billion yen, but has recently increased to almost 240 billion yen. yen ($2.2 billion)) partly due to the lack of necessary components.
