Time Slip Reiwa Japan

079 - Dawn of the Jet Era - 3

The development of jet fighters is a matter of national prestige. However, something unexpected happened when a non-national entity – a corporation – joined the fray.

Its name was Enterprise, a semi-public, semi-private company established after the founding of the Republic of Guam, with capital provided by the government of the Republic of Guam and private investors. The purpose of its establishment was to promote industry on Guam Island, which had few industries other than tourism, and to provide jobs for over 100.000 citizens. The Enterprise's involvement in the development of jet fighters was not driven by purely venture reasons; there were more pressing motives.

By the time the Enterprise embarked on the development of jet fighters, it had already been in operation for ten years and had achieved some success, primarily in industries such as fishing and agriculture. Given its geographical location and historical background, this was expected. However, the Republic of Guam couldn't easily accept giving up the presence of cutting-edge companies, even if it was considered extravagant. This was because there was a significant pool of highly educated individuals in the Republic of Guam who had received advanced education in Japan and the Republic of Guam's universities. However, due to the lack of opportunities, young people who had received advanced education were constantly leaving for Japan.

The Republic of Guam had the highest aging population among the Japanese Federation's states. Of course, this wasn't an immediate problem, but it was clear that it would become one in the near future. That's why the development and production of jet fighters became essential.

The Enterprise engaged in negotiations with the Japanese government and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, carefully ensuring that their product would not overlap with the Japanese military-industrial complex. Simultaneously, they embarked on collaborative development with Japanese defense companies.

This was the beginning of the Light Jet Fighter Attack (LJFA) development plan. The Japanese government was also deeply concerned about maintaining the health of the Republic of Guam's population and economy, so they generously provided support. It was a situation where defense companies were also eager to cooperate. The Enterprise couldn't handle everything in-house due to limitations in capital and the geographical constraints of Guam Island, so they had no choice but to rely on Japanese defense subcontractors for component manufacturing. It was a win-win relationship.

In fact, as the Enterprise initiated the LJFA-01 project, it started formulating plans to purchase technology from various defense companies based on the project's specifications. However, LJFA-01, which would be created by gathering existing technologies, was considered by Japan and the Republic of Guam (USFJ) as a fighter with strong elements of a lightweight attack aircraft. This was only the perception of those involved.

At the planning stage, it was equipped with two engines with a thrust of 22 kN each and had a maximum speed of approximately Mach 0,9, which was comparable to second-generation fighters. For a nation that had just begun deploying first-generation fighters, it was a formidable heavy fighter.

. . .

France

As soon as the plan for the new export-oriented LJFA-01 fighter jet was announced, the usual illness struck.

France requested the sale to Japan.

This time, Japan introduced the Enterprise to France through the Republic of Guam (USFJ) and played a supporting role. Negotiations between France and Enterprise were later described by a Japanese government official who attended as "like a contest between a tanuki and a fox."

Although their Ouragan had been put to practical use, France was eager to obtain any combat aircraft that could be used in a potential war against Germany, and the Enterprise was determined to sell at all costs for the sake of the Republic of Guam. In a sense, it might seem easy to find common ground, but it wasn't.