The Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin (, formerly the ATD-X) is a Japanese experimental aircraft for testing advanced
stealth fighter aircraft technologies. It is being developed by the
Japanese Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) for research purposes. The main contractor of the project is
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...
. Many consider this aircraft to be Japan's first domestically made stealth fighter. ATD-X is an abbreviation for "Advanced Technology Demonstrator – X". The aircraft is widely known in Japan as although the name itself is an early code name within the
Japan Self-Defense Forces and is not officially in use. The aircraft's first flight was on 22 April 2016.
The success of this development test prototype has led to the start-up of the
Mitsubishi F-X sixth-generation fighter program.
Development
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Japan, seeking to replace its aging fleet of fighter aircraft, began making overtures to the United States on the topic of purchasing several
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...
fighters. However the U.S. Congress had banned the exporting of the aircraft in order to safeguard secrets of the aircraft's technology such as its extensive use of stealth; this rejection necessitated Japan to develop its own modern fighter, to be equipped with stealth features and other advanced systems.
A radio-controlled 1/5 scale model made its first flight in 2006 to gain data on performance at high
angles of attack
In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, α, or \alpha) is the angle between a reference line on a body (often the chord line of an airfoil) and the vector representing the relative motion between the body and the fluid through which it is ...
and to test new sensory equipment and self-repairing flight control systems.
Following these preliminary steps, the decision was taken in 2007 to push ahead with the multi billion-yen project. At the time of this decision, production was forecast to start roughly 10 years later, around 2017. In 2007, the ATD-X was expected to conduct its maiden flight in 2014. In 2011, the maiden flight was projected to take place in 2014 or 2015.
![ATD-X model 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/ATD-X_model_2.JPG)
The 40 billion yen construction project in the Mitsubishi's Komaki South Plant began in 2009 under the supervision of the
Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) of the Defense Ministry.
In July 2014, the TRDI (Technical Research & Development Institute) released the first official photos of the ATD-X prototype, and stated that the aircraft was undergoing ground testing. The fighter prototype was expected to be fully developed by 2018. The ATD-X program will then lead to the
Mitsubishi F-3, which should carry
sixth-generation technology, and is expected to be produced in 2027.
The ATD-X prototype was officially unveiled on 29 January 2016. The aircraft's first flight was expected the following month; it carried the X-2 official military designation at the unveiling.
The X-2 made its maiden flight on 22 April 2016 taking off from
Nagoya Airfield
, also known as Komaki Airport or Nagoya Airport, is an airport which lies within the local government areas of Toyoyama, Komaki, Kasugai and Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was once an international airport, but is now a domestic sec ...
and landing at the JASDF's
Gifu Air Field
is a military air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located in Kakamigahara City, east of Gifu in the Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is home to the Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum
Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum is an aviation ...
after a 26-minute flight.
The unusually prolonged period between structural completion and first flight has not been fully explained. The Jiji News Agency reported that the X-2 has a take-off weight of ; Japanese media reported its weight as , heavy for a demonstrator of these dimensions span and long.
In late-November 2017, ATLA announced that the X-2's testing will be concluded in March 2018. Of the time of the reporting the X-2 has completed 34 sorties out of the original 50 planned flights.
By July 2018, Japan had gleaned sufficient information from flight tests for a determination, and decided that it would need to bring on-board international partners to complete this project. Several companies have responded.
Lockheed Martin is reportedly offering an updated version of the
F-22
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the ...
Raptor. British based
BAE Systems also entered talks about which little is yet reported. Third to enter the competition was
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...
and there is speculation that it will offer a modernized version of the
YF-23 to Japan.
Significance
The X-2's development and maiden flight allowed Japan to become the fourth nation in the world to develop and test-fly their own stealth jet (after the United States, Russia and China), revitalize Japan's defense and aerospace industry, and stay competitive with regional powers China and South Korea that are also developing their own stealth fighter.
Prior to the X-2 and the 2014 easing of arms export Japan's defense industry stagnated because of the arms export ban prevented Japan from exporting weapons or participate in any joint development with another country, with the exception being the United States. This in turn slows the growth of Japan's defense industry and similarly effects the aerospace industry as the lack of military aircraft development means that procurement of certain aircraft are sought elsewhere from foreign defense contractors. The X-2 is thus seen with potential to reinvigorate Japan's aerospace and defense industry. According to Hideaki Watanabe, head of the
Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), the X-2 can be used to give Japan more bargaining power in future joint development projects because of its technological advancement.
There is also potential that technologies developed from the X-2 can be transferred and used for civilian applications as the
Mitsubishi F-2 has done prior. The F-2 (although its development is controversial) introduced the first usage of
carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and AESA radar on a fighter aircraft. CFRP material would later be used for the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...
and while the AESA radar technology would help produce electronic toll collection system.
Design
The X-2 will be used as a technology demonstrator and research prototype to determine whether domestic advanced technologies for a
fifth generation fighter aircraft are viable.
The aircraft features 3-D
thrust vectoring
Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket, or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to control the attitude or angular velocity of the ve ...
capability. Thrust is controlled in the ATD-X by three paddles on each engine nozzle similar to the system used on the
Rockwell X-31, while an axis-symmetric thrust vectoring engine is also being developed for the full-scale production model.
Among the planned features of the X-2 is a
fly-by-optics flight control system, which by replacing traditional wires with
optical fiber
An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass ( silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a mea ...
s, allows data to be transferred faster and with immunity to electromagnetic disturbance.
Its radar will be an
active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar called the 'Multifunction RF Sensor', which is intended to have broad spectrum agility, capabilities for
electronic countermeasures
An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...
(ECM),
electronic support measures
In military telecommunications, electronic support (ES) or electronic support measures (ESM) gather intelligence through passive "listening" to electromagnetic radiations of military interest. They are an aspect of electronic warfare involving ac ...
(ESM), communications functions, and possibly even microwave weapon functions.
A further feature will be a so-called , which will allow the aircraft to automatically detect failures or damage in its
flight control surfaces
Aircraft flight control surfaces are aerodynamic devices allowing a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude.
Development of an effective set of flight control surfaces was a critical advance in the development of aircraft. Ea ...
, and using the remaining control surfaces, calibrate accordingly to retain controlled flight.
The X-2 was equipped with two
IHI Corporation XF5 engines for the test flights.
Flightglobal.com
To minimize its radar cross-section (RCS), the X-2's body is designed to have even surfaces and eliminate seam joints. The radiation-absorbent material
In materials science, radiation-absorbent material, usually known as RAM, is a material which has been specially designed and shaped to absorb incident RF radiation (also known as non-ionising radiation), as effectively as possible, from as m ...
(RAM) used on the body is reportedly a composite material consisting of ceramic and silicon carbide and is developed by Ube Industries
is a Japanese chemical company manufacturing chemicals, plastics, battery materials, pharmaceuticals, cement, construction materials, and machinery.
The former company name is
The company was founded in 1897 when Sukesaku Watanabe —an indus ...
, while the cockpit windshield is coated with a special tin alloy. The aircraft incorporates a serpentine shaped air intake duct to further suppress radar reflection. According to Hideaki Miwa of the Defense Ministry's procurement agency, the X-2's RCS is "no bigger than a giant beetle viewed from tens of kilometers away".
Specifications (X-2)
See also
References
External links
ATD-X Full size model
Technical Research and Development Institute Ministry of Defense
Research of Flight Control System for High Maneuver Aircraft
Mitsubishi
ASCII.jp
* ttps://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/japan-just-joined-elite-club-135500817.html Video of prototype takeoff on 22 April 2016
{{Stealth aircraft
ATD-X
Stealth aircraft
Twinjets
High-wing aircraft
X-2, Mitsubishi
Aircraft first flown in 2016
Three dimension thrust vectoring aircraft
Japanese experimental aircraft