Mitsubishi F-2
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The Mitsubishi F-2 is a Japanese fighter aircraft manufactured by Mitsubishi. It is based on the Lockheed Martin F-16 and that company is a major subcontractor to Mitsubishi.
History
In October 1987, Japan selected the F-16 as the basis of its new fighter, to replace the Mitsubishi F-1. The F-2 programme has been controversial, because the unit cost is roughly 4 times that of a Block 50/52 F-16, but this demonstates Japan's commitment to its aerospace industry.
Some differences in the F-2 from the F-16:
- a 25% larger wing area
- radar absorbent materials have been used on the leading edges
- longer nose to accommodate a phased-array radar
- larger tailplane
The F-2's maiden flight was on October 7, 1995. Later that year, the Japanese government approved an order for 130, to enter service by 1999; structural problems resulted in service entry being delayed until 2001.
Because of issues with cost-efficiency, orders for the aircraft were severely curtailed in 2004.
Characteristics
- Role: single seat fighter
- Powerplant: General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan giving 76 kN (17,000 lbf) military thrust and 131 kN (29,500 lbf) maximum thrust with afterburner
- Size:
- Length: 15.52 m
- Height: 4.69 m
- Wingspan: 11.13 m
- Wing area: 34.84 m²
- Weight:
- Empty: 9,527 kg
- Normal takeoff: 15,000 kg (?)
- Maximum: 22,100 kg
- Speed: mach 2.0 at altitude
- Ceiling: about 18 km.
- Range:
- on anti-ship mission: 834 km
- Ferry: ? km
- Wing loading: 430 kg/m² at weight of 15,000 kg
- Thrust/weight ratio: 5 N/kg
- Armament: 20 mm JM61A1 cannon, plus maximum weapon load of 8085 kg:
- AAMs: AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, Mitsubishi AAM-3
- air-to-ground weapons include: ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles, various free-fall bombs with CGS-1 IIR seeker heads
- Cost: earlier version of F-16 is USD 25 m, an F-2 is probably about USD 100 m (However the UAE paid 8 billion US-Dollar for 80 F-16 Block 60, so if all cost are combined the F-2 and the latest version of the F-16 are not that far away.)
- First flew: 1995
- In service date: 2001
See also
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