Japan scraps plan to obtain U.S.-made anti-ship missiles for F-15

Japan's Defense Ministry said Thursday it has scrapped a plan to obtain U.S.-made long-range anti-ship missiles with standoff capabilities for the Air Self-Defense Force's F-15 fighter jets due to ballooning costs.The acquisition of the Lockheed Martin missiles, known as LRASM, was aimed at arming the ASDF with anti-ship missiles that can be launched by planes without them being exposed to enemy counter fire.The ministry made the decision before the deadline later this month of initial requests for a state budget for the next fiscal year from April 2022.The LRASM is one of two U.S.-made cru…READ FULL ARTICLE