Japan may buy Eurofighter, defence minister says

Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:18 AM BST
TOKYO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Japan is considering buying Eurofighter Typhoons to replace part of its ageing air force fleet, Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in an interview on Wednesday.
Tokyo had shown interest in buying the Lockheed-Martin (LMT.N: Quote, Profile , Research) F-22 Raptor, which boasts stealth capabilities far superior to those of any other aircraft available, but the U.S. government is reluctant to allow the technology to be exported, even to a close ally such as Japan.
"The F-22 is an exceptional aircraft," Ishiba said. "But we at the Defence Ministry have not decided that it is absolutely necessary for Japan."
Ishiba said the strongest alternative among planes manufactured by other countries was the Eurofighter.

"The French Rafale is difficult to use. We certainly wouldn't choose a Russian fighter plane. So I think it would be the Eurofighter Typhoon," he said.



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hmmm stripped down version maybe...

Not even I think it's a ploy to pressure the US to either sell F-22s at some point and time, most likely. Or second lower the price on new F-15s because they still have 2 squadrons of F-4s to replace. Maybe a little of both?