Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
Japan is moving to modernize at least 12 more Boeing F-15Js with upgraded radars in response to delays in the selection of its next fighter. The Japanese Defense Ministry now plans to field about 40 such aircraft, enough for two squadrons. Its budget request for the financial year beginning April 1 will probably include the funds needed for modernizing “a dozen or so” F-15Js, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper has reported.
High fuel prices have forced Vietnam’s first privately owned airline, Vietjet Air, to delay its first flight from late this year to April 2009. The company has also deferred a lease of two Boeing 737-700s from General Electric. It based its business plan on crude oil prices of $70 a barrel, about half of recent prices.
The proposal to merge Avic 1 and Avic 2 back together has run into resistance in the Chinese government. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has undisclosed objections to the current plant and wants the companies to submit a new proposal, according to Avic 1 General Manager Lin Zuoming. If the ministry can be satisfied, the merged company, China Aviation Industry Corp., will be formed in late August. It was originally supposed to be formed this month.
