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| Computer Model of the New Zero Stealth Fighter |
A group of major Japanese firms
are planning a test flight next year for the nation's first homegrown
New Zero stealth fighter jet, a report said Tuesday.
The consortium
-- led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries -- is developing a jet that has
similar technology to US-made F-35 stealth fighters, with a prototype
set for a test run in January, the Mainichi newspaper said.
About 39.2 billion yen ($384 million) has been invested in the project, said the report,which was confirmed by sources in the defence ministry.
Following
the initial flight, the jet will undergo about two years of testing at
the defence ministry with Tokyo set to decide on whether to buy the
plane by early 2019, it added.
Japan,
which sees a security alliance with the United States as a cornerstone
of its foreign policy, has long depended on US manufacturers for
military hardware.
Prime Minister Abe's conservative government has been looking to expand Japan's military
influence, and has relaxed a self-imposed ban on weapons exports.
Last
month, Tokyo loosened the bonds on Japan's powerful military,
proclaiming the right to go into battle in defence of allies, in a
highly controversial shift for the officially pacifist country.
The
development of a homegrown jet comes amid worsening tensions with
Beijing over rival claims to islands in the East China Sea.
Japan
said last month that its military scrambled fighter jets a record 340
times in the three months to June in response to feared intrusions on
its airspace.
Chinese
government ships and planes have been seen off the disputed islands
dozens of times since Japan nationalized some of the archipelago nearly
two years ago.
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