During the 1980s General Dynamics, the developer of the F-16, proposed another
involved because they were busy upgrading their present fleet as well as developing the
involved because they were busy upgrading their present fleet as well as developing the
new F-22/JSF. Japan had decided to purchase the F-16 to replace its aging F-1 aircraft
but then decided to develop the F-16 Agile Falcon concept. The new aircraft for the
JASDF (Japan Air Self Defense Force) would be the F-2 and manufactured with a 60/40
split between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin
bought General Dynamics in 1993. Production started in 1996 with the first aircraft being
delivered in 2000. 94 of the F-2 aircraft are scheduled to be manufactured. It might look
like an F-16 but the Mitsubishi F-2 is a completely new fighter. The general shape may
say F-16 and a few things that the F-2 and the F-16 have common are the engine,
landing gear, air intake door and the 20 mm gun. But the F-2 has a longer and wider
nose to accommodate phased-array radar with 25% larger wing. It is made from a
composite material to reduce weight and radar signature, a larger tail plane and larger
air intake. The pilot canopy is a stronger three-piece construction. The F-2 is equipped
with a drogue chute just like the NATO version of the F-16. The single seat fighter is the
F-2A while the two seat version (F-2B) is a trainer that is fully combat capable.


The 21st Squadron of the 4th Wing (21 Hikotai, 4 Kokudan) is based at Matsushima Air
Base in Miyagi Prefecture. It is a Flying Training Command unit that is part of the JASDF
system. The Flying Training Command is responsible for basic flying and technical
training. Originally there had been 47 F-2Bs ordered but that has been reduced along
with a reduction in the original 83 F-2As. High cost overruns and the poor world
economy was cited as the main factors for the cuts.



Specifications Mitsubishi F-2A & F-2B

Nickname - Viper Zero

Designation
F-2A - Single-seat Multi-role fighter
F-2B - Two-seat training version, fully combat capable

Performance
Powerplant: (1) General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan
Dry thrust - 76 kN (17,000 lbf)
Thrust with afterburner - 131 kN (29,500 lbf)
Maximum speed - Mach 2.0
Range - 520 miles   (834 km) on anti-ship mission
Service ceiling - 59,000 ft   (18,000 m)

Dimensions
Length - 50 ft 11 in   (15.52 m)
Wingspan - 36 ft 6 in   (11.13 m)
Height - 15 ft 5 in   (4.69 m)
Wing area - 375 ft²   (34.84 m²)

Weights
Empty - 21,000 lb   (9,527 kg)
Loaded - 33,000 lb   (15,000 kg)
Max takeoff - 48,700 lb   (22,100 kg)

Armament
(1) 20 mm JM61A1 cannon
Capable of carrying up to 17,820 lb   (8,085 kg) weapon load on 11 hard points. They
are located - #1 and #11 at the wing tips, #2-5 and #7-10 under the wings, and #6 under
the fuselage.
Possible Weapons
Air-to-air - AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, Mitsubishi AAM-3, Mitsubishi AAM-4
Air-to-ground - ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles.
Various free-fall bombs with GCS-1 IIR seeker heads, Mk 82 and JM177 bombs
CBU-87, JDAM and JLAU-3/A or RL-4 rocket pods.
Others - J/AAQ-2 FLIR

Avionics
Mitsubishi Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system including J/APG-1.
Some differences between the F-2 and the F-16
F-2 has a 25% larger wing area.
F-2 is manufactured using composite materials to reduce overall weight and radar
signature.
F-2 is longer and wider nose to accommodate phased-array radar.
F-2 has a larger tail-plane.
F-2 has a larger air intake.
F-2 has a three-piece cockpit canopy.
F-2 is equipped with a drogue parachute.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series (Jet Powered)
HA2702 - Mitsubishi F-2B JASDF
21st Sqn., 4th Air Wing (Matsushima A.B.)
Die-cast metal.
Superb detailing in 1/72 scale.
Pre-painted with pad applied markings.
Fully assembled.
Weapons that are not permanently attached.
Comes with crew figures
Display stand included.
Option to display model with wheels up or down.
Minimum use of plastic.
Hobby Master doesn't flood the market with huge numbers of each model and
with the pre-production interest shown world wide this definitely will be a very
rare bird and extremely sought after.
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