TOKYO -- Japan has heard proposals from three U.S. aerospace companies on its program for a next-generation fighter jet, as Tokyo looks to forge a framework including cost and time estimates by the end of 2020.
Officials from Tokyo and Washington met remotely in late June for the first substantive talks on developing the successor to the F-2, which is slated for retirement. Japan intends to take the lead on the project, handling core parts such as engines, while getting technological support from the U.S.
