China crisis adds urgency to Japanese air force modernisation

The Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) has long been Asia's most capable air force in terms of technology, training and doctrine. In the 1980s it entered the elite group of McDonnell Douglas F-15 operators, alongside USA and Israel. It also operates a locally developed fighter in the form of the Mitsubishi F-2, which is based on the Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D. While the high cost of this indigenous type raised eyebrows, Japanese technological prowess ensured it is a capable platform. The air force also boasts Asia's leading airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) capability, in the form of its four Boeing E-767s.

But Tokyo is struggling to retain this edge. The USA's steely resolve to not export the Lockheed F-22 was a blow to its efforts to move the air force further up the capability ladder. Its repeated calls for the stealthy type went unheeded, even as production for the US Air Force wound down and ended. Meanwhile, Japan's large force of 1960s-era McDonnell Douglas/Mitsubishi F-4EJ Kai Phantoms is all but obsolete, and its powerful force of ­F-15Js is ageing. This is particularly vexing for Tokyo in light of the rapid development of Chinese airpower since 2000. Twelve years ago, China's air force comprised thousands of aircraft but, except for a handful of Sukhoi Su-27s, was decades out of date and of dubious combat potential. In the most likely conflict scenarios - over Taiwan or disputed islands in the East China Sea - China's fighter force of the time would have been no match for Japan's air force, and in any such conflict the service would have been aided by the immense power of the US Air Force and US Navy.

The situation has changed radically. China continues to cull older types from its inventory, and has about 400-500 advanced types such as the Su-30, Shenyang J-11 (a locally built version of the Su-27) and Chengdu J-10. It also continues to make advances with key support elements, such as aerial refuelling, which extends power-projection capabilities, and AEW&C. Beijing is also deploying modern warships that would greatly complicate the threat environment facing Japan's air force, and has invested in a large arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles, which threaten Japanese and USAF-run air bases.

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