Mitsubishi F-2

$127 million multirole fighter as of 2009

JASDF Mitsubishi F 2A 529 landing.
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credit: Courtney Witt, U.S. Air Force
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The Mitsubishi F-2 was jointly developed by the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the American company Lockheed Martin as a multirole fighter intended for the Japan Air Self Defense Force. It was developed from the F-16 Fighting Falcon of General Dynamics and first flew in October 1995. The aircraft was introduced in 2000 and was produced from 1996 until 2011. A total of 98 aircraft were built including four prototypes.

Manufacturer:
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Country:
Japan
Manufactured:
1995 to: 2011
ICAO:
F2
Price:
US$127 million (2009)
Avionics:
J/APG-2, AN/ARC-164, NEC V/UHF transceiver, Japan Aviation Electronics/Honeywell digital AFCS etc.
Engine:
1x General Electric F110-IHI-129
Turbofan
Power:
29,500 pound-force
Max Cruise Speed:
1147 knots
2,124 Km/h
Approach Speed (Vref):
Travel range:
451 Nautical Miles
835 Kilometers
Fuel Economy:
Service Ceiling:
59,000 feet
Rate of Climb:
48000 feet / minute
243.84metre / second
Take Off Distance:
450 metre - 1,476.36 feet
Landing Distance:
650 metre - 2,132.52 feet
Max Take Off Weight:
22,100 Kg
48,722 lbs
Max Landing Weight:
18,300 Kg
40,344 lbs
Max Payload:
9,000 Kg
19,841 lbs
Fuel Tank Capacity:
1,225 gallon
4,637 litre
Baggage Volume:
Seats - Economy / General:
1 seats
Seats - Business Class:
Seats - First Class:
Cabin Height:
Cabin Width:
Cabin Length:
Exterior Length:
15.5 metre - 50.85 feet
Tail height:
5 metre - 16.40 feet
Fuselage Diameter:
1.3 metre - 4.27 feet
Wing Span / Rotor Diameter:
11.1 metre - 36.42 feet
Wing Tips:
No Winglets

The F-2A is a single-seat fighter version while the F2-B is a two-seat trainer version. It has an external length of 15.52 meters, an external height of 3 meters, and a fuselage diameter of 1.3 meters. The tail height is 5 meters and the wheelbase is 4 meters. It has a wingspan of 11.13 meters over missile launchers and 10.8 meters without missile launchers. The wing area is 34.82 square meters. It has an empty weight of 9,527 kg to 9,633 kg depending on the variant and a gross weight of 13,459 kg. The maximum takeoff and landing weights are 22,100 kg and 18,300 kg, respectively. It has a maximum payload of 9,000 kg, a maximum internal fuel capacity of 1,225 US gal, and a usable fuel capacity of 1,212 US gal.

The aircraft is powered by a single General Electric F110-IHI-129 engine. It is an afterburning turbofan with two spool, three fans and nine HP compressor stages, annular combustors, and two LP and one HP turbine stages. It produces a maximum dry thrust of 17,000 lbf and an afterburning thrust of 29,500 lbf. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 1,147 knots and a combat range of 450 nautical miles. It can fly up to 59,000 feet and can climb at a rate of 48,000 feet per minute. The takeoff distance is 450 meters while the landing distance is 650 meters.

The F-2A is armed with 20 mm JM61A1 cannon plus a maximum weapon load of 8,085 kg including JLAU-3/A rocket pod, air-to-air missiles such as AAM-3, AAM-4, AAM-5, AIM-9 Sidewinder, and AIM-7 Sparrow; air-to-ground weapons such as ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles, various free-fall bombs with GCS-1 IIR seeker heads, and joint direct attack munition. It is also armed with J/AAQ-2 forward-looing infrared and AN/AAQ-33 targeting pod. The aircraft is also designed with several indigenously-built avionics systems.

All Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aircraft