Posted: Dec 24, 2014 12:30 pm
TOKYO -- The U.S. decision for Japan and Australia to host the Asia-Pacific service hubs for the F-35 stealth jets marks a new phase in their trilateral cooperation on military equipment and maintenance...
The hub in Australia will service aircraft in the southern Pacific, while the one in Japan will handle jets in the northern Pacific...
Both locations with the ability to repair and update the fighters' airframe will open by early 2018. Australia will also start providing engine maintenance around that time, followed by Japan three to five years later. The three countries will communicate closely over service information for the F-35s to prepare for any emergencies in the region...
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy ... -agreement