Japan Unveils Its First Domestically Produced Stealth Fighter
With Japan developing its own domestic stealth fighter, it makes me wonder how long it will be before the ROK feels they need to develop their own as well:
Japan on Thursday unveiled its first stealth fighter jet, officials said, with the maiden test flight planned for next month.
The defence ministry’s acquisition agency showed off the domestically developed, radar-dodging X-2 fighter at a regional airport near the central city of Komaki.
Its first flight is scheduled in mid-February before delivery to the defence ministry by the end of March next year, the acquisition agency said.
The X-2, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, measures 14.2 metres (47 feet) long and 9.1 metres wide and was built as a successor to the F-2 fighter jets developed jointly with the United States.
Presently, only the United States, Russia and China have been internationally recognised as having successfully developed and flown manned stealth jets, the agency said.
Japan has reportedly spent about 39.4 billion yen ($332 million) to develop the aircraft. [AFP]
You can read the rest at the link.
ROK is already trying to develop its own KF-X fighter. They threw a fit over technology transfers from the f-35.
The North Korean stealth fighter is probably the most successful one in its class.
You haven’t seen it?
Well… there you go.