Mitsubishi F-2
1995 Mitsubishi fighter aircraft
The Mitsubishi F-2 is a multirole fighter that was derived from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, and 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 United States. The basis of the F-2's design is the F-16C Block 40. Production started in 1996 and the first aircraft entered service in 2000.
The first 76 aircraft entered service by 2008, with a total of 98 airframes produced. The first active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on a combat aircraft was the J/APG-1 introduced on the Mitsubishi F-2 in 1995.
The F-2 is nicknamed Viper Zero, a reference to the F-16's unofficial nickname of "Viper" and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
Development
US–Japan negotiations
The JASDF and its contractors considered developing a Japanese-designed, Japanese-produced replacement for the aging Mitsubishi F-1 fighter as early as 1981. A formal feasibility study commenced in 1985.
Japan's initial intentions to develop the aircraft domestically built upon Japan's previous success in producing the F-15J fighter under license from McDonnell Douglas.
Japanese defense contractors argued that they needed to build a new aircraft from the beginning in order to develop the skill of their engineers and, in turn, develop the Japanese aircraft industry.
“Mitsubishi F-2” enters the record as 1995 Mitsubishi fighter aircraft. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Mitsubishi, fighter and aircraft can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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