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Further Reading

F-2 / FSX - Production Program

As of 1995 US and Japanese government officials believed Japan would probably produce between 50 and 130 aircraft. After much discussion of a reduction to 70 - 80 machines, the Cabinet in Tokyo approved 130 F-2s in December 1995. However, Lockheed officials, citing Japan's history of producing more aircraft than originally estimated, felt that Japan might ultimately produce as many as 200 FS-X aircraft. Roll-out was on January 12, 1995, with tests scheduled until 1999. Production deliveries began in September 2000 and were to continue beyond 2010.

The key technologies involved, particularly an all-new composite wing, have proven troublesome, and total development costs came to about $5 billion. The unit price tag is over three times that of a typical F-16C Block 50. Development delays caused the F-2's unit price to leap from a projected 8 billion yen ($72.4 million) to 12 billion yen, the same price as larger fighter aircraft (e.g. F-15).

In August 2004 it was reported that Japan planned to stop the procurement of the F-2 fighter, following a Japanese Defense Agency review that concluded that the F-2 was the least cost-effective of all available options. At that time only 76 of the aircraft were either deployed or under construction. The review also concluded that while the F-15 is being upgraded, there is little room to upgrade the F-2 because of its smaller size. New contracts were planned to purchase an additional 10 to 20 units, but those would mark the end of the procurement. Another five were funded in FY05. The last of the 81 funded by FY2005 were delivered in FY08, although production is likely to keep going for another few years at the current very low level in order to retain a warm production line to support the follow-on F-X program.

In 2007 the Japan Government authorized the total production of 94 F-2 aircraft, and this new award to Lockheed Martin brought the total aircraft under contract to 86. Lockheed Martin is producing components for 81 F-2 aircraft from those orders initiated under the 10 previous annual contracts. Lockheed Martin received a contract from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) on 31 March 2007 valued at $150 million to manufacture components for five additional F-2 production aircraft. MHI is the prime contractor for the F-2, Japan's operational support fighter.

In April 2008 Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. received a $250 million contract from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to manufacture components for eight additional F-2 aircraft. With the award of this twelfth and final annual F-2 production contract, Lockheed Martin will begin fabrication and delivery of components for the last eight aircraft. The latest deal brought the total aircraft Lockheed had under contract to 94. Lockheed has completed components for the first 83 F-2 aircraft. Mitsubishi delivered the first production aircraft to Japan's Ministry of Defense in September 2000, and planned to complete delivery of the first 76 aircraft early in Japan fiscal year 2008.

Japan is set to end production of its F-2 aircraft in 2011, raising concerns over the future of Japan's fighter-jet industry. Japan's agreement with the US to jointly produce the F-2 fighter jets ends in 2011.

An F-2 support fighter crashed 31 October 2007 at Nagoya airport. The Japanese F-2 fighter jet burst into flames just after takeoff, but its two pilots managed to escape. Japanese police investigated Mitsubishi Heavy's plant near Nagoya, central Japan, after the F-2 support fighter crashed. The factory builds and maintains the aircraft for the military. The Aichi prefectural police, suspecting professional negligence resulting in injuries, seized documents related to servicing work as well as the F-2 support fighter heavily damaged in the accident.