As China increases in its weapons production ambitions, the surrounding countries are increasingly wary. Several countries, especially Asia, were infuriated by China who claimed other countries' territories as part of the South China Sea.
At the same time, China is also producing new weapons which it claims can defeat enemy weapons. As a form of anticipating future threats, the Japanese began to modernize their weapons.
Japan has awarded Boeing a $470 million contract to upgrade its F-15J fighter jets to match the capabilities of its F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
Quoted from Defense Security Asia, the US Department of Defense said in a statement that Japan awarded a contract last month to integrate several systems in Japanese F-15J aircraft and make them the "F-15 Super Interceptor."
Work to upgrade the Japanese F-15J aircraft will be carried out at Boeing's facility in St. Lous, USA and is expected to be completed in 2028.
According to a spokesman for the Boeing company, the Japanese Air Force's F-15 Super Interceptors will enhance the capabilities of the country's Air Force. The Japanese F-15J aircraft are manufactured under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In 2019, Japan and the United States agreed to upgrade 98 Japanese F-15s for $4.5 billion.
Japan, which has a territorial dispute with China involving the Senkaku islands, has also agreed to equip its 68 F-15s with the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) developed by the United States.
However, in August last year, Japan canceled the intention because the cost of equipping it with LRASM missiles was very expensive.
The LRASM, which is a Precision Guided Munitions (PGM), is equipped with a 450kg explosive charge and is capable of hitting targets ranging from 500km to 1,000km depending on the variant.
Efforts to upgrade Japan's F-15J aircraft will ensure that its air force is able to meet today's security and defense challenges, particularly with neighbors China and Russia.
Between April and November 30 last year, Japanese fighter jets were deployed to intercept 643 foreign military aircraft approaching its airspace, according to the Japanese Army. Of the 643 aircraft intercepted, 486 belonged to the Chinese military while 146 belonged to the Russian military.
The US Air Force decided not to upgrade some of the older F-15 variants, instead purchasing the F-15EX aircraft which is the newest variant of the fighter. An F-15EX aircraft is estimated to be worth US$87.7 million. The F-15A fighter jet first entered United States Air Force service in 1974.
