Japan’s Defense Ministry Announces Next-Gen Fighter Jet to Fly by 2028

The Japanese Defense Ministry laid out a timeline on Tuesday for getting the Self-Defense Forces’ next-generation fighter jet from drawing board to battlefield. The first flight tests could begin as early as 2028, with the jet entering service by 2035.

According to the Japan Times, the defense ministry said on Tuesday it would begin building a prototype for its next-generation fighter in 2024, with the goal of having the plane in the air for the first time by 2028.

Defense News further noted the defense ministry hoped to select the program’s primary contractor as early as October of this year, which would produce a basic design for the aircraft by April 2021.

Concept Art of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force’s future F-X Fighter

Bradley Perrett at Aviation Week nicknamed the nex-gen fighter “Godzilla” when its concept art was released in February, thanks to the aircraft’s huge size exceeding that of the already-large F-22, which is 62 feet long.

As a consequence, Tokyo undertook its own stealth aircraft research, building the X-2 Shinshin tester, which flew for the first time in 2016. The aircraft reportedly has the radar cross-section of “a giant beetle.”

Sourse: sputniknews.com