The United States has approved a $4.5 billion program to upgrade 98 of Japan’s F-15 fighter jets to a Japanese Super Interceptor configuration.
Japan requested the upgrade of up to 98 of its F-15J jets. The upgrades include APG-82(v)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radars, Advanced Display Core Processor II (ADCP II) Mission System Computers, and ALQ-239 Digital Electronic Warfare Systems.
The upgrades approval comes as Japan’s defense ministry in August requested a record 5.32 trillion yen ($50.3 billion) budget for 2020 to fund a range of purchases including fighter jets and missile defense systems as the country eyes the threat from North Korea and China.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has steadily increased the country’s defense spending that translates to an upgraded military that can face off missile and nuclear threats from North Korea and increased military activity in the region by China and Russia. The upgrades are despite the country’s post-World War II pacifist constitution that dictates that the country only develop its military capabilities for defensive purposes.
