F-X program

The F-X program is an ongoing project of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to obtain a new aircraft to supplement and eventually replace their aging F-4EJ Phantom II and F-15J aircraft. Candidates to the program include Lockheed Martin's F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

In 2008, the F-22 was removed from the plan by the Ministry of Defense after the United States banned the export of the aircraft. The F-35, on the other hand, was accepted four years later to complement the ASF-X Shinden II that was then in development.

Trivia

 * In Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the second color of the F-35B Lightning II is the livery of the Japan Maritime Defense Force as a reference to the F-X project.