"user314" (user314)
08/06/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: flightline, Planelopnik, Japan, jasdf, Mitsubishi
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"user314" (user314)
08/06/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: flightline, Planelopnik, Japan, jasdf, Mitsubishi | 4
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Mitsubishi F-2s on the line at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, prep for a Red Flag flight in June 2019
The Mitsubishi F-2 (FKA the FS-X) was a joint US/Japan development of the General Dynamics F-16 for the JASDF. Japan had been interested in producing a domestic replacement for the F-1 fighter as early as 1981, spurred in part by the success of Mitsubishi’s licence-built F-104 and F-15J fighters. Lobbying by US defense industry and government officials, especially in light of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , in which Japanese and Norwegian companies sold milling machinery for propellers to the Soviet Union, resulted in the project being shared between the US and Japan instead.
The FS-X program started with General Dynamics’ Agile Falcon, which boasted a larger wing, a new engine, and other upgrades. In addition to replacing the F-1, the F-2 was also expected to replace the aging F-4EJ, and to compliment the F-15J. Initially expected to number 141 units, the production run was cut to less than 100 aircraft, with only 61 F-2A single-seat types and 21 F-2B two-seat trainers currently in service . First flight of the F-2 was on October 7th 1995, with the type entering service in 2000.
The F-2 strongly resembles its F-16 fore-bearer, but differs in crucial ways:
The wing and tailplane are 25% larger, and are partially constructed from graphite-epoxy composite
The nose was made longer and wider to accommodate an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (AESA) radar, the first operation aircraft to carry such a radar.
The F-2 has a larger intake than the F-16
A three-piece canopy in place of the F-16's single piece
Provisions for carrying up to four anti-ship missiles
A drogue parachute
Differences between F-2 and F-16
F-2 and F-16C silhouettes
ttyymmnn
> user314
08/06/2020 at 11:08 |
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JASDF Phantoms or GTFO.
wafflesnfalafel
> user314
08/06/2020 at 11:11 |
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interesting - didn’t realize there was that many differences. Top down profile is really completely changed.
facw
> user314
08/06/2020 at 11:13 |
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Haven’t read about what’s been happening with the ones that got caught in the tsunami:
I think they were planning on repairing them, but getting a jet that’s been inundated with saltwater airworthy again seems like it might be more work than building from scratch.
kanadanmajava1
> user314
08/06/2020 at 11:19 |
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“ Lobbying by the US, especially in light of the Toshiba_Kongsberg Scandal, in which Japan sold milling machinery for propellers to the Soviet Union, resulted in the project being shared between the US and Japan instead. ”
So what was the other option? A shared project doesn’t sound like a proper punishment due to the CoCom agreement violation.
Darkbrador
> user314
08/06/2020 at 11:34 |
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What’s this larger wing surface do ? Less loading and better turns ? More weapons load capabilities ? More fuel ? All of the above ?
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user314
> kanadanmajava1
08/06/2020 at 11:36 |
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Scrap, forgot to embed the link there. The companies involved all faced monetary penalties in addition to legal woes. Not being able to indigenously produce an advanced fighter/bomber also set back the Japanese aerospace industry by a considerable amount.
Consequences for Toshiba
The violation by Toshiba led to a broad spectrum of consequences. At an individual level, the president and a couple of executives from the Toshiba Machine subsidiary resigned. This was followed by two executives from the Toshiba Corporation itself; they were held responsible for the activities of their subsidiary company. Several employees were also arrested at early stages of the investigation.
The Japanese government also imposed harsh economic penalties on the company; as an unnamed Japanese government official noted, ‘short of driving Toshiba into bankruptcy, I think they were the toughest sanctions we could take’.[i] Toshiba Machine was prohibited from exporting to communist countries for a year, a penalty estimated to be worth over $100 million in 1980s prices (or 12% of the company’s total exports at the time).
It was the reputational damage caused to the Toshiba Corporation that was most problematic, although more difficult to measure. Watching the offices of a trusted household brand raided by the police, and hearing allegations of how Toshiba’s actions had benefited the Soviet Navy, were hugely damaging. The Prime Minister of Japan accused Toshiba machine of ‘betraying Japan’, a member of the US congress publically smashed a Toshiba radio, and there were calls to ban the import of Toshiba products to the US.[ii]
Consequences for Kongsberg
In Norway, the Kongsberg trading company was shut down by the Norwegian authorities. The manager of the company was charged for his failure to provide correct information about the products being exported and the alleged end-use.
Consequences for C. Itoh & Company
Itoh was prohibited from exporting machine tools to communist countries for three months.
Broader consequences
The consequences for international security and US-Japan relations must also be considered. In pursuing just $17 million and $10.4 million worth of business, respectively, it has been alleged that Toshiba Machine and Kongsberg caused somewhere between $1 billion and $100 billion (1980s prices) worth of damage to the US Navy. The sale was alleged to have made Soviet submarines twenty-fold quieter and much more difficult to track in a very short space of time. The actual cost of the damage to western interests is difficult to determine. In terms of US-Japan relations, the actions of these companies put the relationship of the two allies under serious strain.
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user314
> facw
08/06/2020 at 11:42 |
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As a result of the 2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami , 18 F-2Bs belonging to the 21st Fighter Squadron at Matsushima Air Base were damaged or destroyed. Of these 18, 5 were deemed beyond repair and have been scrapped. The remaining 13 F-2s [were] being repaired at the estimated cost of ¥ 80 billion (€490 million). In the meantime, training duties carried out by the 21st Fighter Squadron have been transferred to other air bases. Repair works were completed by 2016, when the 21st Squadron returned to Matsushima.
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kanadanmajava1
> user314
08/06/2020 at 11:48 |
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The most important thing while braking international agreements is not g et caught doing it. I’m pretty sure that there is also an i nteresting story how they messed up.
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user314
> Darkbrador
08/06/2020 at 11:55 |
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Longer range and more weapons carriage mostly. The F-2 has two additional hardpoints under the wings, but actually has higher wing loading and a lower T/W ratio than a Falcon .
Specifications (F-16C Block 50/52)
General characteristics:
Length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Wing area: 300 sq ft (28 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 64A204[313]
Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,573 kg)
Gross weight: 26,500 lb (12,020 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,187 kg)
Fuel capacity: 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) internals[4]
Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan (Block 50), 17,155 lbf (76.31 kN) thrust dry, 29,500 lbf (131 kN) with afterburner
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 afterburning turbofan (Block 52), 17,800 lbf (79 kN) thrust dry, 29,160 lbf (129.7 kN) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.05 at altitude, clean[4]
Mach 1.2, 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at sea level[71]
Combat range: 295 nmi (339 mi, 546 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with 4x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
Ferry range: 2,277 nmi (2,620 mi, 4,217 km) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 50,000[314][315] ft (15,000 m) plus
g limits: +9.0 (limited by flight control system)
Rate of climb: +50,000[316][317] ft/min (250 m/s)
Wing loading: 88.3 lb/sq ft (431 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 1.095 (1.24 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)[318]
Armament
Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon, 511 rounds
Hardpoints: 2 × wing-tip air-to-air missile launch rails, 6 × under-wing, and 3 × under-fuselage pylon (2 of 3 for sensors) stations with a capacity of up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of stores,
Specifications (F-2A)
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (F-2B: 2)
Length: 15.52 m (50 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 11.125 m (36 ft 6 in) over missile launchers
10.8 m (35 ft) without missile launchers
Wing area: 34.84 m2 (375.0 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 3.3
Empty weight: 9,527 kg (21,003 lb)
F-2B: 9,633 kg (21,237 lb)
Gross weight: 13,459 kg (29,672 lb) clean
Max takeoff weight: 22,100 kg (48,722 lb)
Maximum landing weight: 18,300 kg (40,300 lb)
Fuel capacity: 4,637 l (1,225 US gal; 1,020 imp gal) maximum internal fuel 4,588 l (1,212 US gal; 1,009 imp gal) usable
F-2B 3,948 l (1,043 US gal; 868 imp gal) maximum internal fuel 3,903 l (1,031 US gal; 859 imp gal) usable
External Fuel capacity: 5,678 l (1,500 US gal; 1,249 imp gal) maximum - (1x 1,135.5 l (300.0 US gal; 249.8 imp gal) + 2x 2,271.25 l (600.00 US gal; 499.61 imp gal) drop-tanks)
Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F110-IHI-129 afterburning turbofan, 76 kN (17,000 lbf) thrust dry, 131 kN (29,500 lbf) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 2,124 km/h (1,320 mph, 1,147 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 1.7 at high altitude, Mach 1.1 at low altitude
Combat range: 833 km (518 mi, 450 nmi) +
Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,000 ft)
Wing loading: 634.3 kg/m2 (129.9 lb/sq ft) maximum
Thrust/weight: 0.606
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ttyymmnn
> Darkbrador
08/06/2020 at 11:56 |
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All of the above.
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user314
> kanadanmajava1
08/06/2020 at 12:12 |
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That’s a story probably worthy of Tom Clancy, or at least an episode of NCIS, if it was ever declassified .
promoted by the color red
> user314
08/06/2020 at 12:54 |
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Did you know that JASDF has an F-2 that’s really just a dragon wearing an F-2 costume? They’ve recruited young women as test pilots for this program that also involves a dragon that looks like an F-15 and one that looks like a Kawasaki C-2 .
Source: Definitely not Netflix.
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user314
> promoted by the color red
08/06/2020 at 13:02 |
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I’ve seen enough hentai...
Actually, not even hentai ...
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Darkbrador
> ttyymmnn
08/06/2020 at 15:23 |
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Well, that was a trick question, and both you & Skyfire failed !
The proper answer in picture below, depicting a few American F16 owners :
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ttyymmnn
> Darkbrador
08/06/2020 at 15:26 |
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What’s funny (or scary) is that we both linked the same article.
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kanadanmajava1
> user314
08/06/2020 at 15:48 |
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Apparently the story is a bit more boring. T hey didn’t get caught but a whistle- blower at Toshiba exporter (Wako) exposed the deal. They didn’t treat him well enough to make him forget the moral values...
The man who blew the whistle on Toshiba says he would be willing to testify before the United States Congress or the Japanese Diet (parliament). ``The US Congress seems intent on bashing Toshiba,’’ said Kazuo Kumagai. ``They may do that. But to me, what is most important is how to stop illegal sales to the Soviet Union of high technology products that endanger the security of the free world.’’
Wako refused to promote Kumagai, who resigned in 1985. He told Wako about the illegal exports after working with communist countries for 22 years and living in Moscow for ten. Soviet officials contacted him several times, inviting him to become a business partner. Although Wako and Toshiba Machine proposed that Kumagai disclose his knowledge of the illegal exports, he refused. The CIA knew about the illegal exports, but did not grasp the scope of the violation. KGB major Stanislav Levchenko defected to the United States in October 1979, and provided the names of about 200 Japanese agents who had been used by the KGB.
I think this is one of the Toshiba machin es in question :
