29 NOVEMBER, 2017 SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM BY: GREG
WALDRON SINGAPORE
Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency
(ATLA) is approaching the end of testing with the Mitsubishi X-2 technology
demonstrator aircraft.
The twin-engined fighter has completed 34 sorties, says
Hirofumi Doi, manager of Japan's Future Fighter Program at ATLA. The first two
flights were conducted by Mitsubishi, the subsequent 32 by ATLA at Gifu air
base. The aircraft's maiden flight occurred on 22 April 2016.
ATLA's original plans called for 50 flights. Doi declined
to specify how many more flights would occur, but says that the X-2
demonstration project will be concluded in March 2018. What happens to the
aircraft after this has not been determined. The aircraft was previously
designated ATD-X.
"The necessary data has been aquired to evaluate the
demonstrated technologies' marurities," says Doi. "The technological
skills of F-2 experienced enginners have been transferred to the younger
generation successfully."
An evolution of the Lockheed Martin F-16, the F-2 was
produced from 1995 to 2011, with 94 examples procured. It is due to be retired
in the 2030s.
Doi adds that no major obstacles emerged during X-2
flight testing. Issues with propulsion, the fuel system, and integration were
ironed out before the maiden flight.
Powered by two IHI XF5-1 low-bypass engines equipped with
afterburners, the aircraft is small by fighter standards, with a length of
14.2m (46.5ft) and a wingspan of 9.1m.
The X-2 is a key component of a larger effort Japan has
made since the 1990s to explore technologies necessary for stealthy fifth- or
sixth-generation aircraft. The effort comprises 15 separate programmes, of
which the X-2 is the most significant. These are investigating specific
technologies such as weapons bays, sensors, data links, and other areas deemed
necessary for advanced fighter aircraft.
The X-2 work will allow Tokyo to assess the merits of its
future fighter acquistition strategy. Options included developing a new fighter
called the F-3 on its own, or developing a fighter with a foreign partner.
Tokyo could end up deciding instead to obtain additional
Lockheed Martin F-35As, which are licence produced by Mitsubishi. Tokyo's total
orderbook for the F-35A stands at 42 examples.
Original post: flightglobal.com
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