Right now, only three nations produce a true and operational fifth-generation stealth fighter. The U.S. actually fields two, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II. China flies the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon. Russia’s much-maligned Sukhoi Su-57 Felon rounds out the list, while its Su-75 Checkmate languishes in development hell.
Of course, other countries are trying to get into the stealth game. In response to the growing threat from China, Japan is joining the fray in yet another sign of the slow but steady repudiation of its post-World War II pacifist policy, Say hello to the Mitsubishi X-2/ATD-X Shinshin (“mind” or “spirit”).
Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin history and specifications
The Mitsubishi name is certainly familiar to military aviation history buffs. We are talking about the company that produced the legendary WWII-era A6M Zero fighter plane, as well as the present-day F-2 Viper Zero (basically a homegrown F-16 Fighting Falcon) and F-15J Peace Eagle. The Viper Zero and Peace Eagle are both excellent warbirds, but they are fourth-generation fighters, leaving significant doubts about their ability to tangle with Russian or Chinese stealth fighters in a hypothetical shooting war.
The X-2/ATD-X made its maiden flight on April 22, 2016. The ATD-X stands for Advanced Technology Demonstrator – X, and as that label implies, the plane was built as a research prototype to determine whether Japan’s domestic technologies for a fifth-generation fighter aircraft were viable. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has a long history of using American fighter designs, dating back to 1955 with the F-86 Sabre. So it is little surprise that the Shinshin’s design closely reflected that of the F-22.
Some of the plane’s salient features included 3D thrust vectoring, with three paddles on each engine nozzle, and an active electronically scanned array radar called the Multifunction RF Sensor that was intended to provide broad spectrum agility. Specifications included a length of 46.5 feet, a wingspan of 30 feet, and a height of 14.8 feet, with an empty weight of 21,385 pounds, and a maximum takeoff weight of 28,660 lbs. Max airspeed was Mach-2.25 (1,712 miles per hour), with a range of 1,566 nautical miles.
Related: Are Russia’s Su-57 and China’s J-20 really stealth fighters?
What will come after the X-2?
The Japanese Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency originally planned 50 flights for the demonstrator. However, in November 2017, after a mere 34 sorties, the Agency announced that the X-2’s testing would be wrapped up by March of the following year. As a result of these flight tests, it was determined that Japan couldn’t develop a stealth fighter alone — it needed international partners.
So, in order to fill the fifth-generation gap, Japan has ordered a total of 147 F-35s — 105 F-35 A models and up to 42 F-35 B models — thus establishing the East Asian island nation as Lockheed Martin’s biggest international buyer of the Lightning II. As of this time a year ago, 27 of the JASDF’s F-35As were operational.
Not entirely out of the ordinary for an experimental aircraft, only one X-2 has been built. The program may have fallen short, but it has paved the way for the initiation of the Mitsubishi F-X sixth-generation fighter program. As Sebastien Roblin noted in a December 2020 article for Forbes, the Japanese government plans to spend the equivalent of $48 billion to have the F-X (unofficially known as the F-3) ready by 2035. The U.S., not surprisingly, is working on its own sixth-generation warbird, the Next-Generation Air Dominance program, and so is Great Britain, in the guise of the Tempest/Future Combat Air System.
It will be interesting to see who reaches the sixth generation first. Stay tuned.
This article by Christian Orr was originally published by 19fortyfive.com.
Feature Image: A Mitsubishi X-2/ATD-X Shinshin. (Creative Commons)
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