US President Donald Trump has offered Boeing’s sixth-generation stealth fighter, the F-47, to Japan, according to reports. If true, this would be the first concrete offer to sell the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat jet to any country.
Notably, this comes amid reports that the US is unhappy with Japan’s participation in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation combat jet being pursued jointly by Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Separately, Reuters reported on May 30 that Japan is growing increasingly doubtful that the GCAP will meet its 2035 rollout target, potentially forcing Tokyo to fill air defense gaps with other fighters. Buying more F-35s or upgrading its existing F-15 fleet could be two options, two highly placed sources said.
If the US offers F-47 to Japan, then Tokyo could also consider adding the latest sixth-generation fighter to its fleet. The security threats in the Indo-Pacific are evolving at a rapid pace as China is testing its own sixth-generation fighter jets, tentatively named the J-36 and J-50.
The F-47 could provide air deterrence to Tokyo, especially as the ambitious timeline for the GCAP is being pushed beyond 2035.
F-47 For Japan
Trump pitched the F-47 to Japan in his recent phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week, according to a report from the Japanese daily newspaper The Asahi Shimbun.
Sources in the Ishiba administration told the newspaper that the call took place on May 23 and was organized at the request of US President Trump.
During the call, Trump mentioned the F-47.
Trump discussed the US-Japan military alliance and mentioned F-47, F-22 Raptor, and an upgraded version of the F-35 fighter.
Trump reportedly said that the United States has such great fighter jets and asked Ishiba if he would like to take a look at them.
Trump added that he will get “the best” for Japan, the officials said.
While awarding the contract for the NGAD fighter jet to Boeing in March, Trump also mentioned an export version of the next-generation fighter jet.
During the F-47 announcement, Trump said that U.S. allies “are calling constantly” to obtain an export version of the NGAD fighter.
We will sell it 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?”
Experts believe that the US will follow the F-35 strategy for F-47 as well. The F-35 has been sold to 20 countries, which has substantially reduced the per-unit cost. Similarly, exporting the F-47 would increase the production units and reduce the per-unit price.
Notably, Trump’s reported offer of F-47 for Japan came just days after reports of the US trying to wean away Tokyo from the GCAP program.
US Unhappy With Japan’s Participation In GCAP
Earlier this week, Infodefensa reported that the U.S. and Israeli governments are unhappy with Japan’s involvement in the GCAP sixth-generation fighter development program, led jointly by the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan.
“Washington is pressuring Japan, apparently through diplomatic and economic channels, and even through threats regarding its security collaborations, over the Asian country’s involvement in the GCAP,” the report said.
The US is reportedly concerned about the level of autonomy Japan would gain through GCAP.
Since the end of the Second World War, Japan has only bought American fighter jets. In fact, Tokyo has been a loyal and important customer for the US fighter jets.
Japan has ordered the largest F-35 fleet in the world, outside of the US. Tokyo has ordered 147 F-35 jets, including 105 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variants and 42 F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing variants.
Besides, Tokyo also operates approximately 155 F-15J and F-15DJ (two-seat trainer) aircraft, a variant of the U.S. F-15 Eagle, built under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
These U.S.-designed jets form the backbone of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighter fleet. Other aircraft, like the Mitsubishi F-2 (based on the U.S. F-16 but heavily modified), are also in service.
However, recently, Japan has been attempting to reduce this reliance by deciding to develop its own F-X fighter aircraft to replace the aging F-2 fighters.
Subsequently, in November 2022, Japan joined the UK and Italy for the GCAP initiative, merging the F-X and Tempest programs.
The US is understandably concerned about losing a lucrative fighter jet market in Japan.
The Slow Pace Of GCAP
Meanwhile, Japan has its own frustrations with the GCAP program. Tokyo is reportedly unhappy with the slow pace of the program.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Japan is skeptical the program will meet its 2035 deadline.
“The joint Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) established in 2022 is falling behind schedule due to a lack of urgency from Britain and Italy, which could push deployment beyond 2040,” according to one of the sources quoted by Reuters.
There are also questions about the synergy between the three countries.
Last month, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto voiced strong concerns regarding the GCAP.
In an interview with Reuters, Minister Crosetto accused the UK of withholding crucial technologies, asserting that this “selfishness” jeopardizes the fundamental spirit of cooperation vital for the program’s success.
“You have to break down some barriers of selfishness. Italy has broken them down totally, Japan almost totally. It seems to me that the UK is much more reluctant to do this, and that’s a mistake because selfishness is the worst enemy of nations,” he added.
Crosetto emphasized that the UK’s reluctance to share specific technologies undermines the strategic parity among the partner nations.
He stated unequivocally, “There is no longer anyone who can be considered first and second class,” noting that while Italy has fully eliminated past obstacles to collaboration and Japan has largely done so, the UK remains hesitant. The precise nature of the technologies being withheld was not disclosed.
Some experts have already pointed out that the rollout of the F-47 could effectively kill other Western sixth-generation fighter programs, such as GCAP.
Now, Trump’s reported offer of the F-47 to Japan, coupled with Washington’s unhappiness with Japan’s participation in GCAP, and Tokyo’s increasing frustration with the slow pace of GCAP, means that Japan could seriously consider the F-47 offer and could very well be the first country to buy the F-47.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- THIS IS AN OPINION ARTICLE. VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
