爲應對中國 日本擬花400億美元戰機投標

SINGAPORE June 30 (Reuters) - Japan will launch a tender for fighter jets as soon as mid-July the Ministry of Defence said in a deal seen worth up to $40 billion as Tokyo seeks to bolster its air defences amid creeping tension with China over disputed maritime borders.

新加坡6月30日（路透社）----國防部表示，日本將最快於七月中旬啓動一項價值高達400億美元的戰鬥機投標，由於和中國存在爭議的海上邊界的緊張氣氛日益攀升，東京將以此加強其空中防禦。

In one of the biggest fighter jet contracts up for grabs in years a ministry spokesman said Japan will contact foreign and domestic defence contractors soon after a July 5 deadline for expressions of interest in the tender for about 100 warplanes.

這是近年來供人競價的最大標的的戰鬥機合同之一，國防部發言人指出，日本將在六月五日其標的大約爲100架戰鬥機的投標意向書截止日後，很快就與國內外製造商簽訂合同。

People familiar with the matter said U.S. firms Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp have been invited to take part in the project dubbed the F-3 fighter jet programme alongside Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) the prime domestic contractor.

知情人士透露，美國的波音公司和馬丁.洛克希德公司被邀請參加代號爲F-3的戰鬥機投標，日本三菱重工作爲國內主要承包商，也在被邀標行列。

A final decision is likely in summer 2018 the people said with deployment due at the end of the 2020s at the earliest. They declined to be identified because the matter was confidential.

知情人士說，最終決定可能將於2018年夏天做出，也可能最早在本世紀20年代末部署。因爲保密的原因，他們拒絕給出明確的時間表 。

With a value seen by these people at up to $40 billion the F-3 programme will dwarf most recent fighter jet deals in value likely attracting global contractor interest. But analysts say Japan's preference for an aircraft that can operate closely with the U.S. military given close Washington-Tokyo ties makes a non-U.S. option a long-shot.

知情人士估算的價值高達400億美元的F-3項目，將使得近年來絕大部分戰鬥機合同的價值都相形見絀，很容易引起全球戰鬥機製造商的興趣。但是分析人士稱，日本爲了拉近華盛頓和東京的關係，更傾向於採用能和美軍飛機協同操控的戰鬥機，這使得美國以外的公司勝算極小。