Japan looking to buy more stealth fighters in 2015

True, the F-4 is getting close to the end if its relevance, despite being a truly formidable aircraft. But is the super-expensive F-35 really the plane that Japan needs? Japan's constitution Article 9 is not multi-role. So do they really need a multi-role aircraft, which also happens to be the most expensive aircraft ever built on earth?

The F-4 is a pig, flys just as well sideways as forward. The F-35 has been a series of disasters, cost over runs , failure of several systems and a promise of a aircraft that's unbeatable. Too expensive too complicated, too much failure.

Cricky: "...flys just as well sideways as forward." I laughed literally out loud. I can't get that picture out of my mind. LOL

The term multi-role applied to the F-35 is relative. In this case it does not mean one model does all. There are three versions of it, a land based version, a carrier version and a jump jet. Japan would probably buy the land version. Fighter aircraft maneuverability has already surpassed the pilots capacity to withstand the G forces, so now it pretty much comes down to electronics and stealth and weapons. This is where the complication factor comes in. All that stealth, electronics and weapons make modern fighters a maintenance and reliability nightmare. The F35 is well on its way to becoming a lemon like the B1 bomber. There is constant negative press about it and usually where there is smoke, there is fire. The B1 had pretty much the same infancy problems that the F35 is experiencing and it continues to be a turkey in the field to this day. Japan would be better off letting Mitsubishi HI build a "super F15 clone" like the Navy Super Hornet......... or build a whole fleet of drones and be done with it.

I like the pilots helmet, that's about all.

Just build your own stealth fighters like the other article said. Don't buy them. Build them!