The Japanese refused to change outdated fighters to drones

Journalists learned that the Japanese Ministry of Defense was considering the option of purchasing drones

to replace outdated F-2 fighters. However, in the end the Japanese abandoned this idea.

According to TASS, the author of the idea was the ex-ministerDefense Taro Kono. His offer was financially profitable. If Japan armed itself with drones, it could save a lot. One American MQ-9 Reaper drone costs approximately 1.5 billion yen, which is 10% of the cost of the fifth-generation F-22 fighter.

Despite the benefits, Kono's idea was not supported.most members of the government and the ruling party. The rationale here is political - Japan does not have the technology to develop such drones, and purchasing them would mean aiming at imports. That is, it would have a bad effect on the support of the national defense industry.

The F-2 fighter was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin.