A possible sale of the F-47 to Tokyo was raised during a phone call between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week, according to a report from the Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun. According to this source, the short-notice call was confirmed by Ishiba administration officials and came just before a visit to the United States by Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s top trade negotiator, for talks on Trump’s economic tariffs.
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When announcing the F-47 contract award, Trump said that U.S. allies “are calling constantly” with a view to obtaining an export version of the NGAD fighter. He said that the United States would be selling them to “certain allies … perhaps toned-down versions. We’d like to tone them down about 10 percent, which probably makes sense, because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?”
Fears about delays to the Global Combat Air Program appear to be pushing Japan toward considering alternatives, including more F-35s. Fears about delays to the Global Combat Air Program appear to be pushing Japan toward considering alternatives, including more F-35s.
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