“We awarded the prime contract to Mitsubishi Heavy,” a ministry of defence spokesman said.
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The fighter jet project, which is expected to cost about $40 billion, comes at an opportune time for MHI, as the company is pulling back from plans to build its SpaceJet regional passenger aircraft as coronavirus travel curbs leave airlines with little cash to buy new planes.
The decision was expected because MHI is Japan’s only jet fighter manufacturer, and no other company bid for the contract. Other suppliers and partners will most likely be identified by the end of the year.
Japan’s air force flies about 200 Boeing F-15 jets and is replacing squadrons of decades-old F-4 fighters with F-35s. The new plane will succeed the F-2, a derivative of the F-16 Fighting Falcon jointly developed by MHI and Lockheed Martin more than two decades ago.
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