Japan’s decision to buy the F-35 strike fighter—the formal announcement of which is anticipated next week—is a huge development for the F-35 program because Japan could be the first of many “dominos” to fall in a flurry of F-35 orders, said industry officials. “I can’t imagine Japan ordering a fifth generation fighter and [South] Korea not doing the same thing,” with Singapore following suit, as well, said one Lockheed Martin executive. Both South Korea and Singapore are current F-15 users and Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle is a contender in the South Korea and Singapore competitions. Boeing has pointed out that its Silent Eagle package confers on the F-15 a frontal radar cross section that meets the same stealth export criteria as the F-35. Together, Japan, South Korea and Singapore—as well as Spain—have a collective requirement for more than 700 new fighters, a total larger than the combined anticipated buys of the eight F-35 international partner countries. If South Korea, Singapore, and Spain do follow suite and opt for the F-35, that would have a dramatic effect on F-35 unit costs due to volume, according to the industry officials.
U.S. Space Command has established an internal planning team, dubbed Tasked Force Voyager, to spearhead logistics for the combatant command's relocation from Colorado to Alabama.
