Japan eyes procuring F-35 fighters; gives up on more F-2 jets

[Chogy]

Aircraft without radars (like T-38's) fly formation all the time without trouble. An AI radar's primary purpose is to target an enemy, not avoid collisions within its own flight.

 

[S.U.R.B.]

I think the best thing F-2 had was better Japaneses avionics when compared with the F-16s.And some advantage in RCS.
While doing some structural changes Japanese rendered F-2 prone to break and cracks in the airframe.The basic purpose for the modification was that they made it able to carry 4 anti ship missiles( to install big size HARPOONS relevant to AAMs) to stop the Korean ships.

 

[Luftwaffe]

Japan has a big demand they have aging 117 F-4s and up to 97 planned F-2s apart from existing fleet.

Planned 97 more means they wanted to increase their inventory but it seems they'll definitely cut it down in size in order to procure F-35s possibly up to 80-100 to replace F-4s while work further on project ATD-X to met demand for the next generation fighter jets that previously F-2 numbers could add up here in ATD-X project. Further upgrades of remaining F-2s could also take place.

It might look like this
F-35
F-15 (seems a squadron of 2 could end up in Japan along F-35s)
ATD-X

to be Retired: F-4s/F-15s

 

[sathya]

why doesn t india, south korea , japan together develop a fighter... each one is developing on their own wasting time and getting outdated.
india atleast is going for mark 2 instead of wasting the efforts made..