00:01 - 00:05
with over 300 combat aircraft Japan's
00:03 - 00:08
Air Force is in the top 10 of the
00:05 - 00:10
world's biggest Air Forces on paper it's
00:08 - 00:14
got some of the most capable fighter jet
00:10 - 00:17
types like the F-15 and the F35 but how
00:14 - 00:19
capable is it really this video will
00:17 - 00:22
look beyond the mere numbers and analyze
00:19 - 00:24
what each component of Japan's Air Force
00:22 - 00:26
brings to the table it will cover
00:24 - 00:28
fighter jets and special Mission planes
00:26 - 00:31
take a detailed look at the capabilities
00:28 - 00:33
of each plane type and what weapons they
00:31 - 00:35
use the video will also take a look at
00:33 - 00:37
possible threats to Japan and do a
00:35 - 00:40
comparison with the neighboring Air
00:37 - 00:43
Forces both in numbers and capability
00:40 - 00:45
level finally we will take a look at the
00:43 - 00:48
bases and what the future holds for the
00:45 - 00:48
Japanese Air
00:51 - 00:56
Force Japan is arming itself as a
00:54 - 00:58
competition between Japan and China
00:56 - 01:01
intensifies that's not always clearly
00:58 - 01:03
reported by all news sources today's
01:01 - 01:05
sponsor ground news helps cut through
01:03 - 01:08
the media noise ground news Aggregates
01:05 - 01:10
news from various sources worldwide
01:08 - 01:12
allowing me to compare perspectives and
01:10 - 01:15
track how different media Outlets shape
01:12 - 01:17
the narrative it saves me time and I can
01:15 - 01:19
use it on my phone or desktop take this
01:17 - 01:22
story on China working on nuclear
01:19 - 01:24
propulsion for a new aircraft carrier
01:22 - 01:26
over 60 sources covered it but the
01:24 - 01:29
coverage varied left leaning sources
01:26 - 01:31
covered it a bit more often for example
01:29 - 01:34
CBS News framed it as China powering the
01:31 - 01:36
next generation of aircraft carriers
01:34 - 01:38
meanwhile on the right the Daily Express
01:36 - 01:41
called it a bombshell with a headline
01:38 - 01:43
bombshell satellite images show China
01:41 - 01:45
building nuclear aircraft carrier ground
01:43 - 01:48
news's features are incredibly useful I
01:45 - 01:50
can even see that 80% of the sources
01:48 - 01:52
reporting on this story have a high
01:50 - 01:54
factuality rating meaning I know I can
01:52 - 01:56
trust the information factuality is
01:54 - 01:58
tracked by three independent
01:56 - 02:01
organizations plus I can check who owns
01:58 - 02:03
each source since ownership often comes
02:01 - 02:06
with its own bias another great feature
02:03 - 02:08
is the blind spot feed it highlights
02:06 - 02:10
stories that get lopsided coverage when
02:08 - 02:13
one side of the political Spectrum
02:10 - 02:15
largely ignores a topic for example left
02:13 - 02:17
leaning media often admitted coverage of
02:15 - 02:20
Hamas claiming that Trump wants to
02:17 - 02:22
occupy Gaza ground news's blind spot
02:20 - 02:24
feed ensures you don't miss such
02:22 - 02:27
perspectives best of all here's a
02:24 - 02:30
special offer for my viewers ground news
02:27 - 02:32
is giving you 40% off their Vantage PL
02:30 - 02:34
which I use to access all the apps
02:32 - 02:37
Advanced features already subscribed you
02:34 - 02:40
can gift ground news to someone else for
02:37 - 02:42
40% off to get the deal use my link in
02:40 - 02:45
the video description go to ground.
02:42 - 02:47
news/ binkov or scan the QR code on the
02:45 - 02:51
screen with ground news it's easy to
02:47 - 02:53
stay informed try it out let's preface
02:51 - 02:55
this video by saying we will not talk
02:53 - 02:58
much about Sam systems even though
02:55 - 03:01
organization wise Japan's Air Force does
02:58 - 03:04
use Sam systems and and Sams are quite
03:01 - 03:06
integral to the defense of Japan Japan
03:04 - 03:09
is the second biggest Patriot Sam user
03:06 - 03:12
after the US these images are straight
03:09 - 03:14
from the Japanese Ministry of defense
03:12 - 03:17
this one shows big and incapable fixed
03:14 - 03:19
radar sites all across Japan of course
03:17 - 03:21
in addition to these Japan relies on
03:19 - 03:24
many Mobile radar systems usually in the
03:21 - 03:27
Army and dozens more Radars on Navy
03:24 - 03:29
ships anyway let's mention the official
03:27 - 03:32
name of the Japanese Air Force is Japan
03:29 - 03:35
air self-defense Force that's more than
03:32 - 03:38
just a name as Japan's military was for
03:35 - 03:41
decades after World War II partially
03:38 - 03:43
Shackled by politics even though changes
03:41 - 03:45
were made since the air force today
03:43 - 03:47
still visibly suffers from the
03:45 - 03:50
self-defense only orientation of the Yer
03:47 - 03:51
year but with the new Cold War looming
03:51 - 03:57
changing so how many fighter jets does
03:54 - 04:01
Japan have its three main types are the
03:57 - 04:04
F-15 the F35 and a domestic design the
04:01 - 04:07
F2 though that one too is essentially a
04:04 - 04:10
reworked slightly enlarged F-16
04:07 - 04:14
currently f-15s serve in seven Frontline
04:10 - 04:18
squadrons each one has F-15 CJs single
04:14 - 04:20
seaters but also a few f-15s DJs twin
04:18 - 04:23
seaters to help with pilot conversion
04:20 - 04:26
f-15s also serve in some additional
04:23 - 04:28
training aggressor and development units
04:26 - 04:31
the J denotes it's a special Japanese
04:28 - 04:34
variant not just produced locally but
04:31 - 04:36
also featuring some Japanese avionics it
04:34 - 04:39
entered service in
04:36 - 04:42
1981 oldest f-15s are on course to reach
04:39 - 04:45
their projected airframe lifespan of
04:42 - 04:48
8,000 hours sometime in
04:45 - 04:50
2025 that's just as well as it's likely
04:48 - 04:54
the type will indeed see F-35 start
04:50 - 04:57
replacing them soon all replacement is
04:54 - 05:01
gradual of course first f-35as were
04:57 - 05:03
delivered in 2018 but initially replaced
05:01 - 05:07
the leftover F4 fighter jets there are
05:03 - 05:09
currently two F-35 squadrons active the
05:07 - 05:12
third one is to start forming this year
05:09 - 05:15
and reportedly will form with the
05:12 - 05:17
f35b that's the short takeoff and
05:15 - 05:19
vertical Landing variant indeed it seems
05:17 - 05:22
the said unit will be new to the Air
05:19 - 05:25
Force for some years now Japan's Air
05:22 - 05:27
Force has had 12 fighter squadrons but
05:25 - 05:30
the announced plans call for 13 Fighter
05:27 - 05:33
Squadron soon in all likely Hood the
05:30 - 05:35
specialized f35b unit will be that
05:33 - 05:38
additional unit to be focused on
05:35 - 05:40
operating from Japan's aircraft carrier
05:38 - 05:43
ships in a way it will be a similar
05:40 - 05:46
arrangement to what the UK's Royal Navy
05:43 - 05:48
has it lost its own fighter jets but is
05:46 - 05:52
now operating f-35bs which are
05:48 - 05:54
technically Royal Air Force's planes the
05:52 - 05:57
first B models are to arrive in Japan
05:54 - 05:59
sometime this year no official recent
05:57 - 06:03
count exists of the a model inventory
05:59 - 06:05
but there should currently be 45 to 50a
06:03 - 06:09
models in Japan lastly there are the
06:05 - 06:12
f-16s sorry f2s those started service in
06:09 - 06:15
the year 2000 with the loss delivered in
06:12 - 06:17
2011 it's a little unclear as to how
06:15 - 06:20
many are in service but when we subtract
06:17 - 06:24
the prototypes and air frames lost in
06:20 - 06:28
accidents there should be around 87 in
06:24 - 06:30
service before f-35s came those f2s were
06:28 - 06:33
the only multi-roll fighter Juds Japan
06:30 - 06:35
had but even so their multiroll
06:33 - 06:39
capabilities still leave a lot to be
06:35 - 06:42
desired their main role is still one of
06:39 - 06:44
anti-shipping using asm2 anti-shipping
06:42 - 06:48
missiles Harpoon class missile though
06:44 - 06:50
more modern relying on 1990s technology
06:48 - 06:53
and updated in the 2000s to include a
06:50 - 06:56
GPS guidance as well curiously the
06:53 - 06:59
supersonic asm3 has not yet entered
06:56 - 07:00
service to replace it apparently a
06:59 - 07:03
better version verion of it is in the
07:00 - 07:06
works to come into service sometime in
07:03 - 07:10
the near future the F2 was the sole jdam
07:06 - 07:12
user before F35 came along jdams are
07:10 - 07:15
kids that turn dumb bombs into guided
07:12 - 07:19
ones even so it's questionable just how
07:15 - 07:21
many jdams Japan possesses by 2018 its
07:19 - 07:23
inventory was still quite minuscule
07:21 - 07:25
another guidance kit for bombs is the
07:25 - 07:30
gcs1 an old weapon from the late Cold
07:28 - 07:33
War using infrared signatures to lock
07:30 - 07:37
onto devised to be used against high
07:33 - 07:39
contrast targets such as ships df2 can
07:37 - 07:43
use sniper targeting pods and Japan has
07:39 - 07:46
procured an undisclosed number of s pods
07:43 - 07:48
but in reality thef2 is mostly about
07:46 - 07:51
anti-shipping and air-to-air combat it
07:48 - 07:53
has a decentish radar and the modern
07:51 - 07:56
air-to-air missiles it carries are the
07:53 - 08:00
same ones the F-15 uses shorter range
07:56 - 08:03
missile is the A5 it enter service in
08:00 - 08:06
2004 and saw one big update since it's
08:03 - 08:08
your average modern Imaging infrared
08:06 - 08:12
Seeker missile roughly comparable to
08:08 - 08:14
Sidewinder X Iris T pl10 and so on
08:12 - 08:17
probably very deadly at distances of a
08:14 - 08:22
dozen or two miles used by the F-15 and
08:17 - 08:25
F2 the longer range missile is the A4 it
08:22 - 08:28
entered service in 1999 and is generally
08:25 - 08:30
similar to amam only with a sparrow
08:28 - 08:34
sized body interestingly a variant
08:30 - 08:37
entering service around 2011 got a whole
08:34 - 08:39
new radar Seeker this time using an Aisa
08:37 - 08:42
array it was the first missile with such
08:39 - 08:44
a radar overall the missile is probably
08:42 - 08:48
among the world's best though of course
08:44 - 08:50
precise info is confidential it can be
08:48 - 08:54
carried by the F35 though so it's
08:50 - 08:56
limited to F2 and F-15 Japan also
08:54 - 08:59
ordered several hundred am Rams over the
08:56 - 09:02
years for the F-35 but also for the f
08:59 - 09:05
15s the thing is when the Cold War ended
09:02 - 09:08
Japan's military largely started
09:05 - 09:11
coasting their F-15 Fleet is only
09:08 - 09:13
partially upgraded out of the total 200
09:11 - 09:16
planes roughly half are really old
09:13 - 09:19
models which have not received major
09:16 - 09:21
modifications so much so that they have
09:19 - 09:24
to rely on Cold War era Sparrow
09:21 - 09:26
air-to-air missiles those are the planes
09:24 - 09:27
that will soon start getting replaced by
09:27 - 09:31
f-35s the other half of the Fleet
09:29 - 09:34
started off with more modern and
09:31 - 09:37
programmable avionics being produced in
09:34 - 09:40
the late 1980s and 1990s due to the
09:37 - 09:42
sluggishness of the politics Japan did
09:40 - 09:46
not start further large modernization
09:42 - 09:49
until the mid 2000s even then the last
09:46 - 09:52
modernized plane was delivered only in
09:49 - 09:56
2019 colloquially those models are
09:52 - 09:58
labeled as F15 J Kai said planes could
09:56 - 10:00
finally fire Japanese missiles as well
09:58 - 10:02
and now now as the previous
10:00 - 10:05
modernization is already more than
10:02 - 10:08
20-year-old Tech contracts were signed
10:05 - 10:11
for another F-15 Fleet modernization and
10:08 - 10:14
a quick one this time with all planes to
10:11 - 10:17
be delivered modernized by 2030 roughly
10:14 - 10:20
speaking Japanese f-15s will get systems
10:17 - 10:22
similar to the US ex model like the
10:20 - 10:25
radar and the epods protection system
10:22 - 10:27
also for the first time the f-15s will
10:25 - 10:30
get more than just dumb bombs to use in
10:27 - 10:33
air to ground fight they will be cruise
10:30 - 10:36
missile carriers as Japan is buying JM
10:33 - 10:38
cruise missiles El Rasam anti-ip missile
10:36 - 10:41
was also planned at one point but it
10:38 - 10:43
seems that was put on a back burner it
10:41 - 10:45
could be that domestic anti-ship
10:43 - 10:48
missiles will be integrated overall the
10:45 - 10:51
current Japanese combat Fleet is fairly
10:48 - 10:54
potent the 45 Something f-35s are topof
10:51 - 10:56
the line aircraft they have stealth
10:54 - 10:59
advanced electronics and weapons at
10:56 - 11:01
least when it comes to airto a Japan
10:59 - 11:04
simply doesn't have a varied roster of
11:01 - 11:07
air to ground weapons the roughly 100
11:04 - 11:10
plane strong F-15 Kai Fleet is potent
11:07 - 11:12
enough its electronics are not very
11:10 - 11:15
competitive but it's a large plane with
11:12 - 11:18
massive range capable of delivering lots
11:15 - 11:21
of advanced missiles into the fight the
11:18 - 11:24
F2 Fleet just shy of 90 planes is the
11:21 - 11:27
multi roll Workhorse perhaps limited by
11:24 - 11:30
its range and payload though more modern
11:27 - 11:33
in general than the F-15 finally the
11:30 - 11:36
remaining 100 largely unmodernized f-15s
11:33 - 11:39
are of questionable utility in a modern
11:36 - 11:42
war they would be largely ineffective so
11:39 - 11:46
it's no wonder they are going away
11:42 - 11:49
soon but an Air Force is not just combat
11:46 - 11:52
planes so let us look at special Mission
11:49 - 11:54
aircraft as well Japan has one of the
11:52 - 11:57
biggest awox type plane fleets in the
11:54 - 12:00
world its newest models are the e2d
11:57 - 12:03
Hawkeyes which are grad ually replacing
12:00 - 12:06
the old Cold War era C models the D has
12:03 - 12:08
a modern and potent radar though due to
12:06 - 12:11
its small size the plane is not nearly
12:08 - 12:13
as good at command and control as a
12:11 - 12:17
larger plane would be that's why Japan
12:13 - 12:20
also has four E7 67s since the year 2000
12:17 - 12:23
those basically use late model e3s radar
12:20 - 12:27
and systems but made it to the larger Bo
12:23 - 12:29
767 platform today awox still play an
12:27 - 12:31
important role in combat as they can
12:29 - 12:34
track various targets hundreds of miles
12:31 - 12:36
away all around them specifically for
12:34 - 12:40
Japan the ship tracking mission is also
12:36 - 12:42
important which e2d is also optimized
12:40 - 12:45
for as it's used for the same role by
12:42 - 12:47
the US Navy as well electronic signal
12:45 - 12:50
Gathering and processing planes
12:47 - 12:52
providing signals intelligence are also
12:50 - 12:55
crucial Japan is slowly converting the
12:52 - 12:58
fleet to the new model based on the C2
12:55 - 13:00
transport plane there is also the
12:58 - 13:03
electric Warfare Fleet meaning planes
13:00 - 13:07
jamming enemy Communications and Radars
13:03 - 13:09
ec1 is a unique plane with only one mate
13:07 - 13:12
but the jamming Fleet is old and it is
13:09 - 13:14
possible that the rc2 can in fact also
13:12 - 13:17
serve as a Jammer and may eventually
13:14 - 13:19
replace the entire Jammer Fleet to help
13:17 - 13:22
with Recon and surveillance with so much
13:19 - 13:25
sea around Japan's Islands three Global
13:22 - 13:27
hog drones are also used those use
13:25 - 13:30
Radars and Optical sensors to monitor
13:27 - 13:32
the surface from hundreds of miles away
13:30 - 13:35
more efficiently than other planes as
13:32 - 13:39
they are not crude and they can fly at
13:35 - 13:42
50 to 65,000 ft for 30 hours or stay
13:39 - 13:45
airborne for 34 hours sticking to 50 or
13:42 - 13:48
so th000 ft Japan used to have a
13:45 - 13:51
dedicated Recon Fleet of f4s but those
13:48 - 13:54
were retired at one point dedicated
13:51 - 13:56
Recon f-15s were developed but that two
13:54 - 13:59
didn't get anywhere today when Recon
13:56 - 14:02
close to threat areas is needed Jaan
13:59 - 14:05
relies on small Recon drones launched
14:02 - 14:09
from its f-15s tanker planes are also
14:05 - 14:11
present of course four Boing 767 tankers
14:09 - 14:15
are not that old with the first arriving
14:11 - 14:18
in 2005 and now with additional Pegasus
14:15 - 14:21
tankers it's obvious Japan is seriously
14:18 - 14:23
doubling down on long range missions
14:21 - 14:25
Japan isn't big on transport planes but
14:23 - 14:28
does have a small Fleet made up mostly
14:25 - 14:30
of domestic designs we can't list all
14:28 - 14:34
the other planes and multiple trainer
14:30 - 14:36
types but let's mention the T4 their
14:34 - 14:40
advanced jet trainer also a domestic
14:36 - 14:41
design some 190 or so are used to train
14:41 - 14:46
pilots all those planes of Japan's Air
14:44 - 14:49
Force are there to try and address
14:46 - 14:52
various neighboring threats in the north
14:49 - 14:55
Russia is very close with Russian
14:52 - 14:58
sakulin and itup Islands just dozens of
14:55 - 15:00
miles away Japan has a long-standing
14:58 - 15:04
territorial dispute with Japan over the
15:00 - 15:07
kural islands vasto is just 400 mil to
15:04 - 15:09
the west of saparo basically the north
15:07 - 15:12
of Japan can be approached from three
15:09 - 15:14
out of four quadrants while Russia is
15:12 - 15:17
currently preoccupied and not a direct
15:14 - 15:19
threat its Air Force is visibly bigger
15:17 - 15:22
than Japan's even when adjusted for
15:19 - 15:25
recent losses moving southwards we will
15:22 - 15:28
ignore the obsolete Air Forces of North
15:25 - 15:30
Korea and go straight to South Korea
15:28 - 15:33
with whom Japan does have territorial
15:30 - 15:36
disputes and some historical antagonism
15:33 - 15:39
going on the two mainlands are barely
15:36 - 15:42
over 100 miles apart of course the most
15:39 - 15:45
likely opponent might be China China
15:42 - 15:47
there is really no contest there Chinese
15:45 - 15:49
forces are much more potent but the
15:47 - 15:52
distance is greater providing some
15:49 - 15:55
protection at least to the mainland if
15:52 - 15:57
not to South Ruku islands and of course
15:55 - 16:00
it's not like the US military would just
15:57 - 16:03
sit still either
16:00 - 16:06
Japan has some 25 major air bases and
16:03 - 16:08
Facilities though naturally only some
16:06 - 16:10
are configured to house fighter jets
16:08 - 16:12
their locations haven't changed much
16:10 - 16:15
over the decades since the times when
16:12 - 16:17
the Soviet Union not China was the main
16:15 - 16:21
threat and there are vast differences
16:17 - 16:23
between bases as well misava for example
16:21 - 16:26
is a huge base where both us and
16:23 - 16:29
Japanese planes operate from it has many
16:26 - 16:31
hardened shelters while Haku
16:29 - 16:34
for example operates just one fighter
16:31 - 16:36
jet Squadron and features almost no
16:34 - 16:39
hardened shelters on average though
16:36 - 16:41
Japan's bases are collocated with
16:39 - 16:45
commercial airports usually sharing two
16:41 - 16:47
runways and a full taxiway or two and
16:45 - 16:49
they usually do have some shelters for
16:47 - 16:52
at least part of a squadron as well as
16:49 - 16:54
hardened munition storage in case of an
16:52 - 16:56
enemy threat many other commercial
16:54 - 16:59
airports would surely be used to
16:56 - 17:01
disperse the Air Force around if needed
16:59 - 17:04
access to civilian facilities was
17:01 - 17:07
forbidden by law until that was changed
17:07 - 17:13
2024 Japan will keep modernizing in the
17:10 - 17:17
future it's still got many f35s left to
17:13 - 17:19
be delivered 105 F-35 a have been
17:17 - 17:22
budgeted and planned so far which means
17:19 - 17:26
another 60 or so are in store on top of
17:22 - 17:28
those all 42 f-35bs are yet to be
17:26 - 17:31
delivered starting this year that's all
17:28 - 17:34
probably going to take until 2030 or so
17:31 - 17:37
to get delivered as said the f-35s are
17:34 - 17:40
to replace the 100 oldest on modernized
17:37 - 17:42
f-15s but the biggest future star is
17:40 - 17:45
going to be the gcap fighter Next
17:42 - 17:48
Generation fighter jet co-developed with
17:45 - 17:51
Britain and Italy the Prototype is still
17:48 - 17:53
yet to fly so that's all some years away
17:51 - 17:56
right now the hope is to have the
17:53 - 18:00
Prototype fly by 2030 and to get first
17:56 - 18:03
mass production planes by 203 35 that
18:00 - 18:06
would suggest service entry around 2037
18:03 - 18:08
or so we'll see binkov already did a
18:06 - 18:12
lengthy piece on gcap a year and a half
18:08 - 18:13
ago so we won't repeat ourselves much
18:12 - 18:15
but it's going to be a very large
18:13 - 18:18
fighter capable of carrying many
18:15 - 18:20
outsized weapons and naturally there
18:18 - 18:23
will be some unmanned wingman drones
18:20 - 18:25
involved as well but no real details
18:23 - 18:28
about those exist yet initial Fleet
18:25 - 18:31
requirements are for gcap to replace the
18:28 - 18:34
f to Fleet in Japan that's maybe 90 or
18:31 - 18:36
so planes required but it's just as
18:34 - 18:39
plausible that given the stretched out
18:36 - 18:41
timelines we mentioned gcap will also
18:39 - 18:44
eventually replace the remaining 100
18:41 - 18:45
f-15s perhaps in combination with some
18:45 - 18:51
f-35s that's all in the 2040s so who
18:49 - 18:53
knows what will really happen by then
18:51 - 18:56
there are some novel weapons to be added
18:53 - 18:59
as well gcap was supposed to get a whole
18:56 - 19:03
new long range air-to-air missile called
18:59 - 19:05
JN aam that program has now been shelved
19:03 - 19:08
at least for the time being though it's
19:05 - 19:10
very likely that once gcap is in the air
19:08 - 19:12
there will be some new missile variants
19:10 - 19:14
flying around as well but there are
19:12 - 19:17
other missiles that are also likely to
19:14 - 19:19
be procured Joint Strike missile cruise
19:17 - 19:22
and anti-ship missile that can fit
19:19 - 19:24
inside F35 will keep getting procured
19:22 - 19:28
work is being done on an improved type
19:24 - 19:30
12 missile that name is an obfuscation
19:28 - 19:33
type 12 has very little in common with
19:30 - 19:36
this new missile which is larger and
19:33 - 19:38
stealthier Japan plans to invest 36
19:36 - 19:41
billion dollars in Long Range strike
19:38 - 19:44
capability over the years so part of
19:41 - 19:46
that will find its way to the Air Force
19:44 - 19:49
One program is similar to the US rapid
19:46 - 19:52
Dragon where cruise missiles will be
19:49 - 19:55
dispensed by transport planes in Japan's
19:52 - 19:57
case possibly their C2 transport planes
19:55 - 20:00
their Fleet is planned to rise by six
19:57 - 20:03
more airframes in the future getting to
20:00 - 20:05
22 in total the missile used by those
20:03 - 20:08
transports was not disclosed but it's
20:05 - 20:11
likely to be the us jasm just like with
20:08 - 20:14
the rapid Dragon Japan is also working
20:11 - 20:16
on Hypersonic weapons one of which is
20:14 - 20:18
supposed to be an air launched air
20:16 - 20:20
breathing missile it's important to
20:18 - 20:23
stress that hypersonics take a lot of
20:20 - 20:26
effort and time to develop and Japan
20:23 - 20:28
doesn't have that much experience so
20:26 - 20:29
this might be a pie in the sky kind of
20:29 - 20:34
Japan does have the industrial base and
20:31 - 20:36
money so we'll see two more Pegasus
20:34 - 20:39
tanker planes are planned taking the
20:36 - 20:42
final total to six further expanding the
20:39 - 20:45
tanker Fleet and signaling the need for
20:42 - 20:48
Japan's Air Force to keep widening its
20:45 - 20:51
operational footprint finally the T4 jet
20:48 - 20:54
trainer is now over 35 years old and
20:51 - 20:56
will need replacement said effort has
20:54 - 20:58
started though so far there is no
20:56 - 21:01
mention of a domestic design on the
20:58 - 21:04
contrary only the US t7 Advanced trainer
21:01 - 21:06
has been mentioned it would be a logical
21:04 - 21:08
Choice which might bring a lot more
21:06 - 21:10
capability to the table as that's a
21:08 - 21:13
larger jet with room for some token
21:10 - 21:16
avionics and weaponry in the end the
21:13 - 21:19
Japanese Air Force is evidently evolving
21:16 - 21:22
today it's still partially stuck in the
21:19 - 21:24
past too much oriented towards just
21:22 - 21:26
defensive missions and in Parts
21:24 - 21:29
curiously stuck with a semi obsolete
21:26 - 21:31
Fleet it will be able to to dish out
21:29 - 21:33
some cruise missiles but regular bomb
21:31 - 21:36
strikes on the ground is something the
21:33 - 21:39
Air Force is not even striving for I
21:36 - 21:41
guess the US is there for that the main
21:39 - 21:44
role of Japan's Air Force maybe to
21:41 - 21:47
Simply blunt China's initial Edge and
21:44 - 21:50
slow China down before significant us
21:47 - 21:53
reinforcements can arrive it's not meant
21:50 - 21:56
to try and liberate Taiwan for example
21:53 - 21:58
but money is pouring in and in the
21:56 - 22:01
decade or two it may reach its full
21:58 - 22:03
potential given the geopolitical
22:01 - 22:07
realities it remains to be seen whether
22:03 - 22:10
that's going to be too little too
22:14 - 22:21
late and remember bov may talk about war
22:18 - 22:24
but only real peace can bring us all
video to article