Japan has cut six helicopters, two fighters and one amphibian from its 2005 defence budget, but has decided against terminating any of its aircraft programmes until at least 2010. The government late last month unveiled a ´4.8 trillion ($47.1 billion) budget for the year beginning 1 April 2005, slightly lower than the ´4.9 trillion sum requested by the Japan Defence Agency (JDA) (Flight International, 7-13 September 2004).
To help fund the cut, Japan will acquire only 18 helicopters during the next fiscal year, down from the 24 sought to meet military requirements. The revised total includes seven Mitsubishi-built Sikorsky SH-60Ks (against a JDA request for nine), plus two UH-60Js, one UH-60JA, three Fuji-built Bell UH-1Js (down from six), two Kawasaki OH-1s and one Kawasaki-built Boeing CH-47JA (down from two).
Tokyo also decided to trim its planned Mitsubishi F-2 fighter purchase from seven to five aircraft and also reduced its ShinMaywa US-1A Kai amphibian purchase from two to one. Planned upgrades to six air force Mitsubishi F-15J fighters and four Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 2000 airborne early warning aircraft were also reduced to four and two, respectively.
The F-2 and Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow procurements survived threatened cuts in Japan's new five-year spending plan that runs from April 2005 to March 2010. As part of a ´24.2 trillion five-year budget, the government plans to acquire 22 F-2s and seven Apaches. Also included are seven new F-X fighters. Japan is expected to establish an F-X evaluation team early this year and select a replacement for its Mitsubishi/McDonnell Douglas F-4s in 2006. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are eyeing the requirement, with the latter offering an enhanced F-2 Super Kai design with Mitsubishi (Flight International, 19-25 October 2004).
Japan's new five-year budget also calls for a further 23 SH-60Ks, 11 CH-47JAs, four CH-47Js, 26 F-15J upgrades and three Kawasaki-assembled AgustaWestland EH101 helicopters, plus eight Kawasaki C-X transports and four Kawasaki P-X maritime patrols. A further ´78 billion will be spent on developing the C-X and P-X aircraft in fiscal year 2005.
BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE
Source: Flight International
