Hostname: page-component-7b9c58cd5d-9k27k Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-17T07:09:30.574Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Japan's F-35 Acquisition and the Arms Race in the Western Pacific: Strategic Game Changer or Epic Boondoggle?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Wilson Wong
Wilson Wong*
Affiliation:
Department of Finance Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Hong Kong
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The F-35 is a game-changing American fighter jet developed to penetrate present day air defences by evading radar detection. In the face of a resurgent China and assertive Russia, Japan is in the process of acquiring the largest fleet of this jet outside of the United States, thrusting it into a position in which it is able to compete with its regional rivals for military supremacy. Despite its technological capabilities, the F-35 has been plagued by a series of technical glitches, resulting in a 2019 crash of a Japanese-assembled F-35. Detractors of the F-35 have attributed this recent crash to fundamental flaws in the plane, ignoring the fact that fighter aircraft programmes tend to undergo a three-decade long development period, marked by significant technical challenges. The F-35 raises significant questions about the next stages in a costly and accelerating arms race involving Japan, China, Russia and the United States.

Keywords

F-35 fighter jetStealthNetworked WarfareExpeditionary CapabilityGame-changing
Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 17 , Issue 11 , June 2019 , e3
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2019

References

Air Force Technology (2019) US, UK and Australia conclude Exercise Red Flag 19-1, Air Force Technology [Accessed on 12 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Axe, D. (2019) Problem: China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Doesn't Have a Gun, The National Interest, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Bjorkman, E. (2014) The Outrageous Adolescence of the F-16, Air & Space Magazine, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Bronk, J. (2019) Discussion with Wilson Wong on the F-35's capabilities vis-à-vis the J-20 and F-35.Google Scholar
Browne, R. (2016) John McCain: F-35 is ‘a scandal and a tragedy’, CNN, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Burke, E.J. and Cevallos, A.S. (2017) In Line or Out of Order: China's Approach to ADIZ in Theory and Practice, Santa Monica, California: RAND Corporation.Google ScholarPubMed
Cenciotti, D. (2019) Here's What Three Italian F-35 Instructor Pilots With 62nd FS Have To Say About Their First Red Flag With The Lightning II, The Aviationist [Accessed on 15 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Chan, M. (2018) Why China's first stealth fighter was rushed into service with inferior engines, South China Morning Post, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Chan, M. (2018) China reveals J-20 stealth fighter's missile carrying capability at Zhuhai air show, South China Morning Post, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Clark, C. (2019) Air Force Presses Lockheed On F-35 Readiness: Lt. Gen. Bunch, Breaking Defense, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Collins English Dictionary (2019) Friendly fire, Collins English Dictionary, [Accessed on 1 June, 2019].Google Scholar
Combat Aircraft (2017) Spanish Eurofighters on ‘Red Flag’, Combat Aircraft, [Accessed on 15 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Copp, T. (2019) Japan surges new weapons, military roles to meet China's rise, Military Times, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Davies, P.E. (2013) USAF McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom II, New York: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.Google Scholar
Deptula, D.A. (2019) Discussion with Wilson Wong on the F-35's capabilities vis-à-vis the J-20 and Su-35.Google Scholar
Deptula, D.A. (2019) The Japanese Air Force Needs an Upgrade, Foreign Policy, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
De Launey, G. (2012) Foes now friends: US stealth pilot and the Serb who shot him down, BBC News, [Accessed on 1 June, 2019].Google Scholar
Dominguez, G. and Takahashi, K. (2019) Kongsberg awarded contract to supply JSMs for Japanese F-35s, Jane's Defence Weekly, [Accessed on 19 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Dougherty, M.J. (2017) Camouflage at War: An Illustrated Guide from 1914 to the Present Day, London, UK: Amber Books Ltd.Google Scholar
Esher, T. (2013) How Dangerous is the S-300 Syria is About to Receive? Defense Update, [Accessed on 1 June, 2019].Google Scholar
Farley, R. (2019) Smiling Stealth: Is the F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet Too Good?, The National Interest, [Accessed on 13 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Gao, C. (2019) Stealth Showdown: Could the F-35 Start a Deadly Arms Race in Asia?, The National Interest, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Global Security (2011) Radar Cross Section, Global Security, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Govindasamy, S. (2016) Not Top Gun yet: China struggles with warplane engine technology, Reuters [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Grazier, D. (2017) Congress Greases Flightpath for the F-35 Boondoggle, The American Conservative, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Grazier, D. (2018) F-35: Still No Finish Line in Sight, Project on Government Oversight, [Accessed on 12 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Heginbotham, E., Nixon, M., Morgan, F.E., Heim, J.L., Hagen, J., Li, S., Engstrom, J., Libicki, M.C., DeLuca, P., Shlapak, D.A., Frelinger, D.R., Laird, B., Brady, K. and Morris, L.J. (2015) The U.S.-China Military Scorecard: Forces, Geography, and the Evolving Balance of Power, 1996–2017, Santa Monica, California: RAND Corporation.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, M.P. (2017) What went wrong with the F-35, Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter?, The Conversation, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Jasper, S. (2017) Strategic Cyber Deterrence: The Active Cyber Defense Option, London: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Johnson, J. (2019) “Air Self-Defense Force jets scrambled as Russian bombers and fighters skirt Japanese coasts”, The Japan Times, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Kazin, M. (2018) “‘Made in America’: Lockheed Martin adds jobs to boost F-35 production”, Fox Business, [Accessed on 30 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Keck, Z. (2019) Welcome to the Stealth Slaughter: China's J-20 Can't Beat An F-22 or F-35, The National Interest, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Kuschel, H. (2002) VHF/UHF radar Part 2: Operational aspects and applications, Electronics & Communications Engineering Journal, 14 (3):101 – 111.Google Scholar
Layton, P. (2019) Japan's Air Force steps up its scrambles. What are the risks?, War on the rocks, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Lin, J. and Singer, P.W. (2016) Come look at China's coolest new missiles, Popular Science, [Accessed on 20 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Martin, Lockheed (2019) F-35A Lightning II, Lockheed Martin, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Martin, Lockheed (2019) F-22 Raptor, Lockheed Martin, [Accessed on 7 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Lockie, A. (2017) Here's why the F-35 once lost to F-16s, and how it made a stunning comeback, Business Insider, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Lorell, M.A. and Levaux, H.P. (1998) The Cutting Edge: A Half Century of U.S. Fighter Aircraft R&D, Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.Google Scholar
Majumdar, D. (2017) Why America's Mighty Military Doesn't Always Dominate the Battlefield, The National Interest, [Accessed on 7 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Majumdar, D. (2018) America Can Now Fly F-35s off of Assault Ships—Here's Why That's a Big Deal, The National Interest, [Accessed on 7 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Majumdar, D. (2019) Why an F-22 or F-35 Would Crush China's J-20 Stealth Fighter, The National Interest, [Accessed on 11 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Mizokami, K. (2015) China's J-20 Stealth Fighter vs. Japan's F-15: Who Wins?, The National Interest, [Accessed on 15 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Mizokami, K. (2019) The Navy and Marines Are Deploying a ‘Lightning Carrier’ to the Pacific, Popular Mechanics, [Accessed on 15 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Mizokami, K. (2019) What's Going on With Russia's New Stealth Fighter?, Popular Mechanics, [Accessed on 19 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Molloy, D. (2017) Syria conflict: Why are air combat kills so rare?, BBC News, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Naval Aviation News (2018) Marines' F-35B Expeditionary Envelope Expands, Naval Aviation News [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Peck, M. (2018) Japan Is Dumping the F-4 Phantom for the F-35 (And It's a Big Deal), The National Interest, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Pickrell, R. (2019) US Air Force F-35s wrecked their enemies in mock air combat — even the new pilots were racking up kills against simulated near-peer threats, Business Insider, [Accessed on 7 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Rajyalakshmi, P. and Raju, G.S.N. (2013) Characteristics of Radar Cross Section with Different Objects, International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering, 4 (2): 205–216.Google Scholar
Roblin, S. (2016) Why Russia's Enemies Should Fear the Su-35 Fighter, The National Interest, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Roblin, S. (2019) Why You Need to Respect the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Fighter, The National Interest, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Schneider, M. (2017) The U.S. F-35 versus the PRC J-20, Real Clear Defense, [Accessed on 7 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Schneider, M. (2019) The F-35 vs. the Russian Su-35 and the PAK FA, Real Clear Defense, [Accessed on 12 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Schogol, J. (2017) Marines launch rocket from amphibious ship to destroy land target 70 km away, Marine Corp Times, [Accessed on 6 April, 2019].Google Scholar
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database (2019) Data for all countries from 1988–2018 in constant (2017) USD, Solna, Sweden: SIPRI.Google Scholar
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database (2019) Data for all countries from 1988–2018 as a share of GDP, Solna, Sweden: SIPRI.Google Scholar
Economist, The, Defending Japan: A new front, April 20, 2019, p23–24.Google Scholar
Thompson, L. (2019) The F-35 Isn't Just ‘Stealthy’: Here's How Its Electronic Warfare System Gives It An Edge, Forbes, [Accessed on 15 May, 2019].Google Scholar
The White House (2019) President Donald J. Trump's Economic Agenda is Working for All Americans, The White House, [Accessed on 30 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Tirpak, J.A. (2012) The F-35's Race Against Time, Air Force Magazine, [Accessed on 15 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Venosa, A. (2016) Breaking Point: What's The Strongest G-Force Humans Can Tolerate? Medical Daily, [Accessed on 16 May, 2019].Google Scholar
Waldman, P. (2014) How the F-35 boondoggle shows that deficit hawkery is a sham, The Washington Post, [Accessed on 1 June, 2019].Google Scholar
Yeo, M. (2018) Japan prepares to stand up first F-35 operational unit, Defense News, [Accessed on 12 April, 2019].Google Scholar
Yeo, M. (2019) Japan inks deal with Kongsberg for F-35 standoff missile, Defense News, [Accessed on May 19, 2019].Google Scholar