Japan to buy U.S. spy plane

[kurohinge1]

Japan to purchase U.S. spy plane


Only one owner - never shot down -
scarf and boots included - 1 billion yen or near offer -
contact George W - 555 8876 ... more

[L S]

When Defense Agency officials started their research, they said foreign-made UAVs would not be appropriate for use in Japan. Since several UAVs have crashed in Iraq, some experts expressed concern about the safety of such flights over Japan.

Uuuuuh, aren't these supposed to fly towards N. Korea???

Risk adverse, not invented here mentality....of course no foreign aircraft manufaturers would understand the needs unique UAV needs of Japan.
This from the country that can't get their own satellites into orbit.

[kurohinge1]

... Uuuuuh, aren't these supposed to fly towards N. Korea??? ...

... The aircraft would be used not only for patrol and reconnaissance over Japanese airspace, but could also be used for intelligence gathering from North Korea-even while flying in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ), which establishes the boundaries for territorial airspace ...

BTW, these are the UAVs:

Global Hawk


Predator


Fire Scout


Eagle Eye

Somehow I find it amusing that Japan seems unable to produce what's commonly called a "drone".

Perhaps they should put the chikans to use to develop their own UAV, called the "Ninjshot" or the "Downskirt".

[Kurofune]

The third and fourth ones in the post above would be a bit hit. I can imagine the unveiling of Japan's newly acquired drone being greeting by "kawaiiiii."

[kurohinge1]

The third and fourth ones in the post above would be a bit hit. I can imagine the unveiling of Japan's newly acquired drone being greeting by "kawaiiiii."

Hold the press! There's still hope if you're after a kawaiiiiii drone.

They're now talking about making their own - DIY Drones ...

Japan looks to build own unmanned spy aircraft

A Defense Agency research institute plans to produce two prototype high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft by fiscal 2012 at a total cost of 22 billion, yen it was learned Tuesday. The institute hopes to manufacture the planes domestically instead of importing them from the United States, according to agency sources.

... The institute has requested 180 million yen to be included in its budget for the next fiscal year to start the project, they added.

... The agency began studying the Global Hawk, Predator B and other U.S. planes last spring.

... The institute is apparently hoping that through developing unmanned reconnaissance plane domestically, Japan could acquire technology that would be applicable to other kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles and close the gap between Japan and the U.S. in intelligence-gathering capabilities, the experts said ... more

[Greji]

[quote="&quot"]"....However, there are concerns the latest plan would be a repeat of the costly F-2 support fighter, which Japan decided to develop jointly with the United States because it did not want to import such an aircraft. The F-2 costs a hefty 1.2 billion yen each...."

I didn't major in math, but is that not about 11.something million US?

The fly away cost of one unit for the F-22 Raptor is estimated at 97.6 Million.

You use a shoestring budget, you normally get shoestrings. The J-drone will make a nice fireworks display when it noses in on launch with all the H-1's and H-2's. The space agency has perfected this technique nicely.

[Buraku]

Japan the second most powerful military on Earth ?



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