http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2010/11/17/04.xml&headline=Bidders%20Await%20Japanese%20F-X%20RFP

Bidders Await Japanese F-X RFP

Nov 17, 2010

TOKYO—Japan is expected to soon issue a long-awaited request for proposals for its F-X fighter competition, despite a media report that the country has settled on the Lockheed Martin F-35 as a future combat aircraft.

Apart from Boeing, is there any point in anyone responding with more than a low cost quotation with a few brochures translated into Japanese, just as a polite gesture? IIRC in the S Korean competition some years ago, Rafale was reported as coming top in the evaluation yet the deal was awarded to Boeing. When S Korea later requested bids for another deal, Dassault refused (as did Eurofighter, I think).

If they can’t buy F-22, let them buy F-35. If they can’t wait for F-35, let them buy F-15. If they don’t want F-15, let them buy F/A-18.

News:

“Thailand has signed a planned follow-on order for Saab-produced fighter and surveillance aircraft and added anti-ship missiles to its air force’s future inventory.

A new agreement covering the supply of six more Gripen Cs and a second Saab 340-based airborne early warning and control system aircraft was secured in Stockholm on 23 November.”

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/23/350080/thailand-signs-for-more-gripen-fighters-anti-ship-missiles.html

A bit of news:

“Boeing is offering to partner with Brazil’s Embraer on a new fighter jet, in an effort to strengthen its bid for a multi-billion-dollar Brazilian defense contract, the U.S. manufacturer said in a report Nov. 22.”

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5089675&c=EUR&s=AIR

Wouldn’t SAAB do the same? Not sure about what kind of partnership Dassault would be prepared to offer (Dassault senior partner/Embraer junior partner?)

Wonder how many dollars it pounds that is, have to wonder how much has gone into pvt swiss accounts

Development cost of 17269 crore = $US 3.924 billion at the rate $1 = 44 rupees

Given that it took India from a country with no fast jet capability to a country that now has one, it looks cheap to me (despite doubtless being much higher than it could have been with a modicum of more professional management by the agencies involved). Don’t know about how much was stolen through corruption.

Please link me to the contract signings where these planes were ordered. I seem to have missed Norway ordering 50, Denmark ordering 50, Turkey being unsure of how many they paid for but think it was 100 and the other customers when you remember. I’m sure this will be very interesting news to us all.

The question to which I responded was: “How many potential sales has F-35 taken away from the Euro Fighter?”

You may recall that Eurofighter was in contention for an order from Norway but withdrew on the basis that whatever the merits of the aircraft, the F-35 was destined to be selected. SAAB’s experience in continuing to offer Gripen pretty much demonstrated that they had made the right call. Norway has not ordered F-35. It has been selected as the F-16 replacement.

Turkey selected F-35 over Eurofighter. Denmark and the Netherlands were also potential Eurofighter customers but opted to go down the F-35 route.

I take your point that no contracts to purchase F-35 have been signed so one cannot be sure that the countries concerned will end up with F-35 but as the situation stands, all were potential Eurofighter customers but are no longer.

Interesting points. Thanks.

What wrong has Boeing done?

I imagine the annoyance is with the entity that funded Pakistan to buy US weapons. LM did not fund the supply of F-16’s. Neither did Boeing. I imagine both companies would have been pleased to get the business from India, Pakistan or wherever.

Doesnt Pak have any french weaponsystem?

If they do, should India refuse to buy from the French companies concerned?