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Japan unveils its stealth fighter

FORUM Staff

Out of nearly 200 countries in the world, only three have developed their own stealth fighters: the United States, Russia and China.

Now Japan is poised to join the club.

In late January 2016, Japan publicly unveiled a prototype of its first domestically produced stealth fighter, dubbed the X-2. The experimental aircraft was expected to undergo its first test flight, possibly sometime in late February 2016, Japanese defense officials told the media.

The plane will be used to test Japan-made stealth technology that could be used in the design of a future fighter jet, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The AP added that this next-generation jet could replace Japan’s current fleet of F-2 fighters as early as 2028.

“It will be a testbed platform for multiple technologies including next-generation electronically scanned array radar systems, multi-dimensional 3D thrust vectoring concepts, and fine-tuning the aircraft’s stealth capabilities. (The X-2 features a special carbon-fiber composite material that absorbs radar waves.),” The Diplomat magazine reported.

The prototype plane — the only one of its kind — has not flown yet and is not equipped with weapons, defense officials said.

Stealth technology is such a closely guarded secret that it is difficult for other countries to share it with their allies, Takahiro Yoshida of the Japan Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency told the Stars and Stripes newspaper. “It’s significant that we can acquire it on our own,” Yoshida added.

Developing the X-2 would enable Japan to produce its own stealth fighters or to partner with an ally to produce the planes, Yoshida told Stars and Stripes.

The X-2 is also called the Shinshin, which translates to “Spirit of the Heart,” according to Popular Mechanics magazine. The plane is 14 meters long, with a 9-meter wingspan. “The aircraft has a large bubble canopy, giving the pilot excellent visibility in all directions,” Popular Mechanics reported.

The unveiling of the experimental stealth fighter is a signal to the world that Japan intends to be taken seriously as a military-industrial power, Jeffrey Hornung, a fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s security and foreign affairs program, told Foreign Policy magazine.

“This may be Japan saying, ‘We can do the technology, so consider us for international consortium projects’” such as the effort that resulted in the American-made F-35 stealth fighter, Foreign Policy quoted Hornung as saying.

Defense analysts say the X-2 program is another example of Japan seeking to strengthen its Armed Forces as its neighbor China invests heavily in its military, according to Foreign Policy.

The U.S. $340 million X-2 project was launched in 2009, The Associated Press reported.

“Despite Japan’s technological expertise, developing a new fighter will not be a walk in the park,” Popular Mechanics reported. “Japan’s quest to build its own fighter will be long and arduous — and will likely require American or European assistance.”

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