為應對中國 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)----國防部表現，日本將最快於七月中旬啟動一項代價高達400億美元的戰役機投標，因為和中國存在爭議的海上界限的重要氛圍日趨爬升，東京將以此增強其空中防備。

　　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.

　　這是比年來供人競價的最大標的的戰役機條約之一，國防部談話人指出，日本將在六月五日其標的約莫為100架戰役機的投標意向書停止往後，很快就與國表裏制作商簽署條約。

　　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.

　　知戀人士泄漏，美國的波音公司和馬丁.洛克希德公司被約請加入代號為F-3的戰役機投標，日本三菱重事情為海內重要承包商，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.

　　知戀人士說，終極決議大概將於2018年炎天做出，也大概最先在本世紀20年月末安排。由於保密的緣故原由，他們謝絕給出明白的時光表 。

　　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.

　　知戀人士估算的代價高達400億美元的F-3項目，將使得比年來絕大部門戰役機條約的代價都相形見絀，很輕易引發環球戰役機制作商的興致。然則剖析人士稱，日本為了拉近華盛頓和東京的幹系，更偏向於采取能和美軍飛機協同操控的戰役機，這使得美國之外的公司勝算極小。