WASHINGTON — The US State Department today approved a possible $4.1 billion sale for up to nine KC-46A Pegasus tankers for Japan — a buy that would more than double Tokyo’s currently planned Pegasus fleet — as well as a potential sale of 32 F-35A stealth fighters for Romania at a price of $7.2 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced today.
While the Romanian F-35 deal has been long expected, Japan’s apparent interest in additional tankers comes as more of a surprise. Tokyo is already one of two international operators of the KC-46A, which is built by Boeing. Lockheed Martin manufactures the tri-variant F-35 and boasts an 18-member international customer base for the jet. The US Air Force is the largest customer for both platforms.
Both announcements, issued in the form of a congressional notification from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), are not final. Quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations, and these announcements essentially permit the acquisition process to move forward. And today’s announcements technically tee up an opportunity for lawmakers to block the buys within a 30-day period, though such a step would be unlikely in either case.
The KC-46A sale to Japan would appear to greatly expand Tokyo’s aerial refueling capabilities, critical for extending aircraft ranges over the vast stretches of ocean in the Indo-Pacific. Besides the refuelers themselves, the sale would include up to 18 PW4062 engines made by Pratt & Whitney, along with associated subsystems and support equipment. The announcement does not say when the aircraft would be expected to be delivered.
A Boeing official, speaking on background, confirmed the potential sale of up to nine aircraft would add to six Pegasus refuelers already on contract with Tokyo, four of which have been delivered.
Boeing referred further questions to the Japanese Ministry of Defense and the State Department. The State Department similarly referred questions to the MoD, which did not immediately respond to an off-hours request for comment. Japan does not appear to have previewed such a large potential buy publicly, though The Wall Street Journal reported recently that it had put aside some $1.4 billion in its newest defense budget for new KC-46s.
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For its part, Romania announced in April 2023 that it intended to buy the F-35, adding Bucharest to a burgeoning international network of Joint Strike Fighter operators. The sale cleared by State today is reportedly the first of two planned tranches, with a second order of 16 jets expected sometime in the future.
Romania, a NATO ally that borders Ukraine, previously said it was moving ahead with the purchase in a bid to deter Russian “aggression.” The sale announced today includes 33 F135 engines made by Pratt & Whitney, as well as associated support equipment, according to DSCA.
The DSCA release did not include an expected delivery date, but the Romanian Ministry of National Defence has previously said the first aircraft should be delivered in 2030.
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