Posted on 07/13/2014 8:12:18 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin stealth fighter has rolled out.
Last month, a leaked, blurry image provided an interesting preview of the first prototype of the Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X (ATD-X), the indigenous war plane that Japan Air Self-Defense Force will operate in the air defense role, replacing the ageing Mitsubishi F-2.
On Jul. 12, the first official photos of the ATD-X (serialled 51-0001) were released by the Japanese Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), the Ministry of Defense’s agency that has developed the Shinshin (“spirit of the heart”, an early codename within the Japan Self Defense Force) for research purposes.
Indeed, the ATD-X will be used for the development of the F-3, Japan’s next generation stealth jet.
Noteworthy, the “new” images were taken on May 8, 2014, when the painting of the canted vertical tails radar-evading air superiority fighter with enhanced maneuverability ended.
Image credit: mod.go.jp via Alert 5 (H/T to Antonio Valencia for the heads-up).
What makes that thing “stealth” is not the shape, but the fact that it unfolds into a Gundam.
F-18 ish
The canopy is made of rice paper to avoid detection.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist)
Ever notice how everybody’s fighters look like they rolled. Off an American assembly line
It looks not greatly but a little bit like the F-22 Raptor.
I saw a story on the Panama City news yesterday that Tyndall Field has the largest number of F-22s in the nation.
Nearby Eglin has the most F-35s.
Not quite as vaporware-centric as Iran, I think.
Anybody care to speculate about the blurring inside of the inlets, and what might be there..?
The development time on this sucker is….kind of suspect.
Last: “AGEING F-2”…?! What a laugh…!
They prolly meant something more like, “the Tsunami took out a bunch of super expensive F-2’s…??
Beijing won’t know what hit ‘em.
it looks like a skinny F-15
The blotted-out area above the intakes makes you go hmmmmm... Nice aircraft though. Very F/A-18ish
I think Tyndall sent a dozen to Japan recently
Ping.
Hornet + Raptor = HorPtor ? RapNet?
Tyndall got a squadron from Holloman. Originally temporary but now permanently at Tyndall.
The Hopper?
It looks like it could fit in my garage.
If this plane is as good as my Nissan, China is in a world of hurt.
Probably not F-117 stealth, but certainly low observable. Good idea to develop their own, since they cannot rely on Obunga and possibly his follower to back them up.
The Japanese may be announcing they are done fooling around with the old "self defense only" routine.
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