US has assessed the price for the proposed sale of 42 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft (the "A" version, that is the one with traditional take-off and no hooks for aircraft carrier) to Japan at $10 billion.
In a notification to Congress, the US Defense Department outlined the details of the proposal. In December 2011, Japan selected the F-35 during the F-X competition to replace its aged F-4 Phantoms. It should be underlined that the F-35 defeated rival bids from the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Eurofighter Typhoon.
The deal includes the aircraft, the Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, electronic warfare systems and other equipment. The package also includes logistical support, including software development and integration, training and spare parts.
This package values each aircraft at roughly $238 million.
It should also be noted that Japan, while having long desired a stealth fighter (the country mounted a long but futile quest to obtain the F-22 which has never been placed by US), warned in February that cost rises associated with the F-35 could result in a order cancellation.
It does not surprise that the US immediately staunched this situation, since the expected 75 million price for each F-35 is strictly related to the number of aircraft which will be placed: more specifically, the forecast expects 3,100 fighter to be placed by next 25 years, but current orders are very less.
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