Aeronautics, Space and Defence

August 2001

The Defense Agency plans to request 5.02 trillion Yen for the fiscal 2002 budget, up 1.8% from the equivalent figure in the initial budget for the current fiscal year. The request does not include expenses associated with the Japan-U.S. Special Action Committee on Okinawa. The agency will request \98.3 billion to beef up its information technology infrastructure, including a project to build an advanced network to allow the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces to share strategic information. The number of intelligence staff will be increased by 186 to speed up analysis. A sum of 51.1 billion Yen for R&D will be requested for the development of patrol and transport planes. A figure of 8.3 billion Yen, up 124%, will be requested for technological research on ballistic missile defense. With the U.S.-Japan joint promotion, the plan involves developing a system for launching prototype antiballistic missiles from vessels. The agency also hopes to buy an air tanker, two combat helicopters, and an Aegis vessel equipped with a surface-to-air weapon system during the next fiscal year. These procurements would increase budget allocations spread over several years to 3.03 trillion Yen, up 2.4%. (August 29, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun)

The Defense Agency has selected Boeing Co.'s AH64D as its new attack helicopter. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. will produce the aircraft under license from Boeing.　Fuji Heavy won the contract, defeating a consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Mitsui & Co., which promoted a model made by Bell Helicopter Textron.　The agency plans to buy 10 AH64Ds during the　2001-2005 medium-term defense buildup program to replace Bell Helicopter's AH-1S models. The purchase price has not been disclosed.　The all-weather AH64D is currently used by the U.S. Army, while plans of the U.S. Marine Corps. to adopt the model are proposed by Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsui. The agency cited the winning helicopter's relatively low price and economical maintenance costs as the reason for its selection. With its sophisticated radar system, 60 AH64Ds can fly a mission that requires 80 of the competing helicopter.　"We will cooperate with Boeing as well as other domestic and foreign firms to prepare for the production and deployment of the AH64Ds," a Fuji Heavy official said.　(August 27, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun)

The Defense Agency plans to double budget request for missile studies. The Agency will request about 8 billion Yen in budget allocations for the next fiscal year to study the ballistic missile defense (BMD) system with the U.S. The figure is more than double this fiscal year's figure of 3.7 billion Yen, going strongly against the trend toward cuts in overall defense spending. The agency intends to steadily proceed with the BMD study while the U.S. moves forward with a new missile defense initiative. Next fiscal year, the research will shift to the testing phase for a system to intercept ballistic missiles. The joint research aims to measure the feasibility of a system, in which an enemy's ballistic missile can be intercepted by antiballistic missiles launched from a ship. If such a system can be developed, it would play a role in the U.S. new missile defense initiative. The agency will submit the budget request to the Ministry of Finance later in August. (August 24, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun)