It appears as though up to 18 of Japan's F-2 fighters may have been damaged in last week's earthquake and tsunami, according to news reports. These are from the 21st Fighter Squadron, located at Matsushima Japanese Air Self Defence Force base in Miyagi prefecture.
The F-2, which is manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is the Japanese variant of the Lockheed Martin F-16. A total of 94 have been produced.
The programme has been controversial due to the high unit cost of around $127 million, which includes the developmental cost. This is around four times the price of a Block 50/52 F-16.
It is still not clear how much damage the aircraft suffered, and what impact this would have on the JASDF's operational capability in the country's eastern regions.
It may, however, increase the impetus to move ahead with the ongoing tenders for new fighter jets - although the budget come under tighter scrutiny due to the need to spend billions reconstructing the regions affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
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