Mitsubishi F-2

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F-2

F-2A
Type Multirole fighter
Manufacturer Mitsubishi
Lockheed Martin
Maiden flight 1995-10-07
Introduced 2000
Primary user Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Number built 94[1]
Unit cost US$108 million in 2004
Developed from F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-2 is a Japanese-American fighter aircraft manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, with a 60/40 split in manufacturing between Japan and the USA. General Electric (Engine), Kawasaki, Honeywell, Raytheon, NEC, and Kokusai Electric are among the other larger participants to varying degrees. Lockheed Martin supplies the aft fuselage,wing leading-edge flaps, stores management system, a large portion of wing boxes and other components.[2] Final assembly is done in Japan, by MHI at its Komaki-South facility in Nagoya. Production started in 1996 and the first aircraft entered service in 2000. By 2008, the first 76 aircraft are expected to be in service, with a total of 94 airframes under contract.[1]

Contents

[edit] Development

Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 Fighter
Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 Fighter

Work started in 1980s under the FS-X program, and began in earnest with a memorandum of understanding between Japan and the United States. It would lead to a new fighter based on the General Dynamics (post 1993, Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon, and in particular the F-16 Agile Falcon proposal. Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries co-developed and co-produce the aircraft, the company is a major subcontractor to Mitsubishi, some of the early developmental work was actually under General Dynamics, who sold its aircraft division to LM in 1993. It is essentially an execution of the F-16 Agile Falcon proposal- a late 1980s plan for an enlarged F-16 which was passed over in the U.S. in favor of an all-new fighter program (Joint Strike Fighter). The F-2 used the wing design of the F-16 Agile Falcon, but much of the electronics were further updated to 1990s standards. The overall concept of the enlarged F-16 by General Dynamics was intended as a cheap counter to the then emerging threat of Su-27/MiG-29.

In October 1987, Japan selected the F-16 as the basis of its new secondary fighter, to replace the aging Mitsubishi F-1 and supplement its main air superiorty fighter, the F-15J as well as the F-4EJ. Meanwhile also during the 1980s, General Dynamics (who developed the F-16) had proposed its F-16 Agile Falcon to the USAF. While the US would pass over the design concept in favor of all-new types (F-22/JSF) and upgrades to its existing fleet, the enlarged F-16 would find a home in Japan.

The F-2 program was controversial, because the unit cost, which includes development costs, is roughly four times that of a Block 50/52 F-16, which does not include development costs. Inclusion of development costs distorts the incremental unit cost (this happens with most modern military aircraft), though even at the planned procurement levels, the price per aircraft was somewhat high. The initial plan of 141 F-2s would have reduced the unit cost by up to 10 million dollars per unit, not including reduced cost from mass production. As of 2008, 94 aircraft were planned.[1] Also controversial is the amounts claimed to be paid to American side as various licensing fees, although making use of the pre-existing technology was much cheaper than trying to develop it from scratch.

The Japanese may eventually make up to 94, at a cost of roughly 110 million US Dollars each in 2004 dollars. Ironically, the cost per unit of what is essentially an updated F-16 is just 20 million dollars less than the cost of the most sophisticated fighter in existence, the F-22 Raptor. Much of the F-16 technology used in the F-2 was the subject of some political debate in the U.S. and Japan in the early 1990s. The technology transfers were authorized however, and the project proceeded.

The F-2's maiden flight was on October 7, 1995. Later that year, the Japanese government approved an order for 141 (but that was soon cut to 130), to enter service by 1999; structural problems resulted in service entry being delayed until 2000.

Because of issues with cost-efficiency, orders for the aircraft were severely curtailed to 98 in 2004.

On October 31, 2007 a F-2B fighter jet crashed and exploded in flames during takeoff at Nagoya Airfield in central Japan. The jet was being taken up on a test flight before being delivered to the Japanese airforce. Both test pilots survived the incident with only minor injuries.[3]

[edit] Design

Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 Fighter
Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 Fighter

Some differences in the F-2 from the F-16A:

  • a 25% larger wing area
  • composite materials used to reduce overall weight and radar signature
  • longer and wider nose to accommodate a phased-array radar
  • larger tailplane
  • larger air intake
  • three-piece cockpit canopy
  • capabilities for four ASM-1 or ASM-2 anti-ship missiles, four AAMs, and additional fuel tanks

Also, the F-2 is equipped with a drogue parachute, like the NATO version of the F-16.

[edit] Variants

  • XF-2A : Single-seat prototypes.
  • XF-2B : Two-seat prototypes.
  • F-2A : Single-seat fighter version.
  • F-2B : Two-seat training version.

[edit] Operators

Flag of Japan Japan

[edit] Specifications (F-2A)

General characteristics

  • Crew: One pilot
  • Length: 15.52 m (50 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 11.13 m (36 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 4.69 m (15 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 34.84 m² (375 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 9,527 kg (21,000 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 15,000 kg (33,000 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 22,100 kg (48,700 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1× General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan, 76 kN military thrust, 131 kN with afterburner (17,000 lbf military thrust 29,500 lbf with afterburner)

Performance

Armament

Avionics

[edit] See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Lockheed Martin Gets $250M F-2 Contract (2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  2. ^ Lockheed Martin Press Release April 8, 2008
  3. ^ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071101a2.html Japan Times

[edit] External links

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