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Mitsubishi T-2

1975 COLD WAR

History of the Mitsubishi T-2

Like postwar Germany, Japan's military capabilities declined. The U.S. occupied the island nation until 1952, and then in 1954 the nation allowed the island nation to establish a self-defense force. This led to the procurement of foreign military equipment to stock their newfound variety of services - including North American F-86 Sabre procurement and local manufacturing (under license from Mitsubishi). With the arrival of Mach 2 capable purchases such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II (purchased and produced locally in Japan), there is a clear need for a Mach 2 capable jet. driving instructor.

So far, Japanese pilots have trained on the aging F-86 Sabre, whose technical period is now over. Japanese authorities were close to a deal to build the joint British-French SEPECAT Jaguar strike platform in a two-seat format, although the deal was cancelled. The country acquired the rights to manufacture its engine - the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour - and developed an indigenous airframe similar to the Jaguar. The resulting "T-X" program was born to fulfill the role of senior trainer, while the related "SF-X" program branch was designed to provide future combat-ready strike fighters. The end result of the former was the Mitsubishi T-2, which was billed as Japan's first locally designed and built supersonic aircraft after World War II.

The SF-X then became the Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet, the country's first locally designed and built post-war supersonic fighter jet (described in detail elsewhere on this page).

In 1967, Mitsubishi, Fuji and Kawasaki officially chose the original specification of the Mitsubishi design. The prototype was designated the XT-2, and Fuji assisted in the project. The prototype was completed in April 1971, and its maiden flight was completed on July 20 of that year. The XT-2 program eventually produced four complete prototypes to test various systems, subsystems, and intended weapons.

The design was then passed to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) for active testing and passed all required tests. The official designation "T-2" was assigned in August 1973, and the aircraft was officially launched in 1975.

Operational capability was achieved the following year, and the inventory of F-86 Sabre trainers was subsequently retired.

The physical form of the T-2 is not dissimilar to the competing Anglo-French Jaguar, and also appears to incorporate some qualities of the American Northrop T-38 Talon premium trainer. The cockpit is set aft by an elongated pointed cone and contains two seats - the student in the front cockpit and the instructor in the stern. The rear position is raised slightly for better visibility ahead of the aircraft. Visibility is good in every position except the stern, which is blocked by the raised fuselage spine.

Each pilot also gets an ejection seat (Weber ES-7J "Zero-Zero"). The wings are mounted high and swept back along the fuselage - there are no conventional ailerons, differential spoilers are used in their place (in front of the flaps). Like the Jaguar and Talon, the T-2 is powered by twin turbofan engines licensed from the British-French Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour.

These are mounted on the rear of the fuselage. The twin-engine unit is then drawn in from two rectangular air intakes on either side of the fuselage. The tail includes a vertical tail and all movable horizontal tails.

The engine was exhausted through a pair of conventional rings in the bottom of the stern. The landing gear consists of a pair of single-wheel main legs and a single-wheel front leg.

The fuselage structure is mainly made of aluminum, with titanium used near the engine mounts - about 10% of the aircraft's weight is due to the use of titanium.

The T-2 was designed for two major production brands, which in turn were spearheaded by the original XT-2 prototype. The T-2(Z) "Zenkigata" (also known as "T-2A") was the original brand and represented the basic two-seat unarmed pilot trainer.

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force adopted 28 of these, followed by the T-2(K) "Kokigata" (aka "T-2B") as the last two-seater weapons trainer, with 62 appearing, all for the Provided to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

The T-2(K) is 58 feet 6 inches long, with a wingspan of 25 feet 10 inches and a height of 14 feet 4.25 inches. The airframe has an empty weight of 13,660 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight of nearly 28,220 pounds.

Propulsion is provided by two Ishikawa-Harima TF40-801A afterburning turbofan engines, with 4,700 pounds of thrust when dry and 7,140 pounds of thrust when reheated. This gives the plane a top speed of 1,056 mph, a range of 1,785 miles, and an operating cap of 50,000 feet.

Internally, the T-2(K) is equipped with the J/AWG-11 search/ranging radar system developed by Mitsubishi, which has the same range and capabilities as the British Navy F-4 Phantom (AN/AWG - 11 of the Phantom FG.1). The unarmed T-2(Z) trainer has no radar installed.

The T-2 in its original form was an advanced jet trainer, but also retained some limited combat qualities. This includes 1 x 20mm JM61A1 internal Gatling cannon for close combat.

There are also three hardpoints (one on the centerline of the fuselage and one under each wing assembly) for external ammunition, as well as disposable fuel storage. In addition, the wingtips are wired to support short-range missiles.

Mitsubishi produced a total of 90 T-2s, the last of which was delivered in 1988. The T-2 was used in an experimental CCV vehicle ("Experimental Configuration Vehicle") for testing triple fly-by-wire controls. Two other T-2 airframes were retained as prototypes for the upcoming SF-X fighter - leading to the development of the related Mitsubishi F-1. The T-2 trainer was used until its official retirement in 2006, and the F-1 fighter was eventually abandoned.

These were replaced by the modern and more advanced Mitsubishi F-2, which was jointly developed by Japan and the United States, inspired by the F-16 Fighting Falcon C/D line. With the arrival of the F-2, Japan modernized its F-4 Phantom fleet to the newer F-4EJ "Kai" standard and received a production license for the preeminent McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.

The Mitsubishi F-2 directly replaced the T-2 trainer (in the senior trainer role) and the F-1 fighter (in the strike fighter role).