P.M. BRIEFING : Japan Could Buy British Jump-Jets
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LONDON — Japan has opened contacts with Britain and the United States over a possible purchase of Harrier jump-jets to reinforce its air defenses, British air industry sources said today.
They said Japan has approached British Aerospace and McDonnell Douglas about the Harrier 2, which is being developed especially for use at sea and which is a refinement of the original Harrier vertical-takeoff aircraft.
Japan is considering a number of planes, including the U.S. F-15, to protect its sea lanes up to 1,000 miles from its shores. The aircraft would go into service in the mid-1990s.
The British-designed Harrier can take off and land vertically, allowing it to operate easily from large ships or small land bases.
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