The history of the future "Japanese breakthrough" began in 1994, when the Technical Research & Development Institute (TRDI) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) launched the TD-X project (Technology Demonstrator eXperimental, "Experimental Technology Demonstrator"). The topic began to develop with the aim of creating a flying machine to replace the F-15J at the beginning of the XXI century and about 1 billion dollars were provided for this. In 1995, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) was attracted to work on an engine with a thrust of 5000 kgf, which offered to take the F3-30 turbojet engine as a base. It was envisaged to develop on its basis a by-pass engine with an afterburner XF3-400, but received only 3500 kgf. As a result, the required 5000 kgf was achieved only by 2008 on the XF5-1 model.
ATD-X, aka X-2, aka Shinshin in the trademark red and white livery. Source: airwar.ru
Initially, it was supposed to take the plane into the air in 2000, then this period was postponed to 2007, and then it was renamed ATD-X, adding Advanced (promising). The postponement is largely due to the Mitsubishi F-2 project, which is an enlarged "American" F-16 with a large area and wingspan. By the way, the F-2 became the first fighter in the world with an AFAR locator of its own Japanese design - J / APG-1. The Japanese worked together with Lockheed Martin and by the beginning of 2016 were able to put into operation as many as 64 such machines. So, ATD-X was supposed to replace the F-2 in the ranks of the Japanese self-defense forces somewhere around 2027. Resentment at the United States for refusing to share technology, and their own pride gave the Japanese a reason to call the project another word - Shinshin or "spirit of the nation." In 2000, the first aerobatic stand appeared to simulate new concepts of air combat, and since 2002 the Japanese have been working on a self-healing adaptive aircraft control system. The system is called SRFCC (Self Repairing Flight Control Capability) and provides control over the aircraft in case of combat damage or malfunctions. Control signals are transmitted via an anti-jamming fiber optic channel - fly-by-light technology.
Shinshin on the taxi. Source: airwar.ru
The effective dispersion surface of the new fighter had to be measured in France at the SOLANGE polygon complex in Bruz - the Japanese do not have such conditions. For this, a 1: 1, 33 model was made and, in complete secrecy, in September-November 2005, it was “run in” on a French test bench. But the aerodynamics of the future fifth-generation fighter has already been studied in Japan at the Hokkaido training ground on a radio-controlled model of a scale of 1: 5. But in 2008, a crisis broke out and the Japanese Ministry of Defense cut the budget for the ATD-X 7 times at once, which could not but affect the pace of development of the machine. And only the next year the money came in an acceptable amount and this allowed the construction of the first demonstrator aircraft to begin. The contract for its construction was signed at the end of 2011. The entire Japanese world decided to assemble the car - the fuselage and final assembly fell on the aforementioned MHI, Fuji Heavy Industries was responsible for the wing consoles, and the cockpit was entrusted to Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The final specimen has a length of 14.2 m, a wingspan of 9.1 m and a height with the landing gear extended - 4.5 m. An empty Shinshin weighs from 9000 to 9700 kg (data vary), and at the "maximum" - 13000 kg.
The XF5-1 engine used on the X-2 prototype. Obviously, this power unit does not meet the requirements for technology for fifth generation fighters. Source: wikipedia.org
The photo shows the flaps of the engine thrust vector control. This solution is definitely temporary - it does not combine with stealth technologies in any way. Source: airwar.ru
It is claimed that the proportion of composites in the structure can reach 30%. The first car is still without a radio-absorbing hull covering - only the cockpit canopy has it. But the military leadership of the Japanese Ministry of Defense argue that stealth technology for the Land of the Rising Sun is quite capable of and ATD-X will (attention!) Have an EPR "less than that of a bird, but more than that of an insect." The aircraft has two engines of the aforementioned type XF5-1 with an afterburner thrust of 5000 kgf with a three-stage low-pressure compressor, a six-stage high pressure and two turbines also of low and high pressure. The thrust vector of the engine is deflected by three planes behind the nozzles of each XF5-1. The solemn "first riveting" of the fuselage frame was carried out at the MHI plant in Tobisima on March 28, 2012 in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Defense and TRDI managers. Two years later, the aircraft, wearing bright red and white livery, hull number 51-0001, left the MHI workshop in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture. At the very beginning of 2015, problems began with the software of the engine management system and the first flight was postponed by almost 12 months. However, this deadline was not met either - on January 28, 2016, the plane was only officially presented to the press (then they gave it the name X-2), on February 2, taxiing and jogging began. The first acceleration to the speed of separation from the strip took place on April 12.
Comparison of the contours and sizes of Shinshin with closest competitors. Source: globalsecurity.org
At 8.47 a.m. on April 22, 2016, a test pilot, whose name has not been released, took off an experimental fifth-generation X-2 fighter jet from the runway in Nagoya. As usual in such cases, the flight took place at "minimum settings" with the landing gear extended at a speed of 370 km / h and without engine thrust vector control. The plane did not return home after takeoff, and 26 minutes later landed at the airbase of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in Gifu. Nothing unusual happened during the flight, only a few observers noted the very short take-off run of the X-2.
Sketch of the F-3 project, presumably the production version of the X-2. Source: defenceforumindia.com
The Japanese leadership associates the future of Shinshin X-2 with several key aspects. The first is the formation of EPR, which is less than that of similar enemy aircraft. In this regard, the Japanese are actively working on new radio-absorbing materials and new forms of air intakes. The second is the development of a next-generation radar capable of detecting subtle objects. The third aspect is the principle of cloud-shooting or "cloud shooting", which allows strikes based on external sources of target designation (AWACS or other fighters). Fourth - the development of a new engine with a smaller size and the ability to fly to supersonic cruise, which so far the X-2 cannot do.
Shinshin's first and so far only flight. Source: airwar.ru
According to the available information, the engine, radar and stealth technologies are now under development and should be ready by 2020. Until the end of 2018, the Japanese will be thinking about developing a new fighter based on Shinshin under the F-3 index, and the first flights of this prototype are scheduled for 2024-2025. In the most optimistic version, the fifth generation car should go into the series in 2027, however, given the "quickness" of the Japanese in this matter, it's hard to believe in this. Alternatively, the Japanese can by that time cooperate with the Americans (read with Lockheed Martin) in creating a joint aircraft, taking into account their own developments. Will Japan have time to arm itself with its own new fighters by the time the "friends" in the district will already have fifth-generation aircraft? Or, taking into account the latest doubts of the leadership about the expediency of the ATD-X project, will they remain technologically dependent on the United States?
