In 1977, the Maritime Self-Defense Forces began to receive the first P-3C Orion patrol aircraft, which were intended to replace the aging Japanese P-2J. The first three R-3Cs were manufactured by Lockheed, the next five were assembled in Japan from American components, and the remaining 92 were built and equipped at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant.
"Orions" entered service with 10 squadrons, the last P-3S was handed over to the customer in September 1997. In the process of licensed production "Orions" have been improved several times. Starting from the 46th aircraft, the search radar and the acoustic signal processor were improved, and the electronic warfare equipment was installed. On the previously built Japanese R-3S, since 1993, the entire electronic filling has been replaced.
Japanese R-3C
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces are armed with four EP-3E electronic reconnaissance. They entered service from 1991 to 1998. Japanese vehicles are fully equipped with special equipment of national development and production.
In 1978, the training units of the Air Self-Defense Forces began delivering the TCB of the initial flight training of the T-3. This light aircraft with a 340 hp piston engine. and a maximum speed of 367 km / h was developed by Fuji on the basis of the American Beech Model 45 Mentor aircraft.
TCB T-3
The cockpit and airframe of the Japanese TCB were modified in accordance with the requirements of the aircraft for preliminary flight training, which were put forward by the Japanese military. The new trainer aircraft replaced the American TCB T-6 "Texan" and T-41 "Mescalero". Between March 1978 and February 1982, the Japanese Air Force received 50 production vehicles, where they served until 2007.
The basis of the combat aviation of the Air Self-Defense Forces of Japan is made up of F-15J fighters delivered from the United States and produced in the country itself under an American license. In total, from 1982 to 1999, Mitsubishi manufactured 223 aircraft together with a two-seat modification.
F-15J
Structurally and in terms of its characteristics, the Japanese aircraft is similar to the F-15C fighter, but has simplified electronic warfare equipment. There are currently 153 F-15Js and 45 combat trainers F-15DJs. These are quite efficient, but not very new aircraft.
The T-2 supersonic trainer jet aircraft available in the 70s turned out to be quite expensive to operate, and their characteristics did not fully satisfy the representatives of the Air Force. Therefore, at the beginning of the 80s, the Kawasaki company, commissioned by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, began developing a promising TCB. The new aircraft was also intended for practicing combat use, so excellent maneuverability and high transonic flight speed were required. The terms of reference also predetermined the layout: a traditional monoplane with a high cockpit canopy, located as close as possible to the forward fuselage for a better view forward and downward.
The aircraft, designated T-4, took off for the first time in July 1985. And the first serial entered the troops in September 1988. In total, 212 aircraft were ordered by September 2000, the last of which was delivered in March 2003.
TCB T-4
The T-4 is a typical subsonic training aircraft and, in terms of its capabilities, is located between: Aero L-39 Albatros trainer and Hawker Siddeley Hawk. It does not have built-in weapons, but the presence of five hardpoints on it makes it possible to place various suspended weapons and use them for training in the use of weapons and for performing tasks of direct support of ground forces. Additional fuel tanks can be suspended on three nodes. Since 1994, T-4s have been used by the Japanese national aerobatic team "Blue Impulse".
In the mid-80s, the Air Self-Defense Forces saw the need to acquire new fighters to replace the not-so-successful F-1 fighter-bombers. The American F-16C was chosen as a possible contender for this role. However, after preliminary research and negotiations with representatives of the American company General Dynamics, it was decided to build their own fighter, but taking into account successful technical solutions and the use of a number of components of the F-16 fighter.
Having become an economic superpower, the Land of the Rising Sun could not stay away from the competition with other world powers in the most high-tech industry - military aircraft construction.
When creating the "Japanese-American" fighter, it was supposed to use the latest achievements of the Japanese industry in the field of composite materials, metallurgy, new technological processes for metal processing, displays, speech recognition systems, and radio-absorbing coatings. In addition to Mitsubishi, Fuji, Kawasaki and the American company Lockheed Martin participated in the project.
Although outwardly the Japanese aircraft is very similar to its American counterpart, it should still be considered a new aircraft that differs from the prototype not only in the differences in the airframe design, but also in the structural materials used, on-board systems, radio electronics and weapons.
F-16C (Block 40) and F-2A
Compared to the American aircraft, advanced composite materials were used much more widely in the design of the Japanese fighter, which ensured a decrease in the relative weight of the airframe. In general, the design of the Japanese aircraft is simpler, lighter and more technologically advanced than that of the F-16. The wing of the Japanese fighter, designated F-2, is completely new. It has 25% more area than the Fighting Falcon wing. The sweep of the "Japanese" wing is slightly less than that of the American one; there are five suspension nodes under each console. An improved General Electric F-110-GE-129 turbojet engine was chosen as the power plant of the new aircraft. The avionics for the fighter was almost entirely created in Japan (albeit with partial use of American technology). Mitsubishi Electric has developed an on-board radar with an active phased antenna array.
F-2A
Construction of the first prototype began in 1994 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Komaki Minami in Nagoya. It made its first flight on October 7, 1995. The government decision on the serial production of the fighter was made in September 1996, deliveries of the first production samples began in 2000. In total, 94 production fighters were built from 2000 to 2010, of which 36 are two-seat F-2В.
The priority purpose of the aircraft was the fight for the conquest of air supremacy and the provision of air defense of the islands, as well as striking anti-ship missiles against enemy ships.
The aircraft is mainly equipped with American-designed weapons. In the fuselage, to the left of the cockpit, a six-barreled 20-mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon is installed. There are 13 external suspension nodes - two wing-end (for a melee air-to-air missile), eight underwing and one ventral. To combat surface targets, the fighter can take on board two Mitsubishi ASM-1 anti-ship homing missiles equipped with an active radar homing head.
A little more than 70 F-2A / B fighters are currently in service. Eighteen of the 94 F-2s in service with the Japanese Air Force were destroyed at Matsushima Air Force Base in the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Several more were damaged and are currently in storage awaiting their fate at Komaki airbase.
The T-7 initial training aircraft was developed by Fuji to replace the T-3 trainer. It largely repeats the piston T-3, but differs from it in the modern avionics and the Rolls-Royce 250 turboprop 450 hp. sec., which provided a maximum speed of 376 km / h.
TCB T-7
In 1998, the T-7 won a competition announced by the Japanese Air Force against the Swiss Pilatus PC-7. However, the launch of serial production was suspended due to the corruption scandal associated with this competition. A re-competition held in September 2000 also won the T-7. In September 2002, the Japanese Air Force began delivering a batch of 50 ordered aircraft.
At the beginning of the 21st century in Japan, the Kawasaki corporation modestly, without too much hype, began designing a new generation military transport aircraft. This was preceded by a detailed analysis by the corporation's engineers of the designs of existing and future military transport aircraft.
After the Japanese military rejected the proposals of the "American partners" for the supply of Lockheed Martin C-130J and Boeing C-17 aircraft, the program for the creation of a national military transport aircraft was officially launched in Japan. The formal reason for the abandonment of American vehicles was the non-compliance with the specific requirements of the Self-Defense Forces. But, of course, that is not the point. The real reason is the mismatch with the growing ambitions of the Japanese aerospace industry.
In terms of its capabilities, the new Japanese military-technical cooperation was to significantly surpass the transport aircraft in service: the C-1A and the C-130. First of all, this follows from the increased carrying capacity, which, as indicated, "exceeds 30 tons", and the significant dimensions of the cargo compartment (cross section 4 x 4 m, length 16 m). Thanks to this, the new transport aircraft, designated C-2, will be able to carry almost the entire spectrum of modern and advanced military equipment of the ground forces, which is beyond the power of the C-1A and C-130. There is information that with a take-off weight of 120 tons the aircraft will be able to operate from short runways (no more than 900 m), and from full-size runways (2300 m) it will be able to lift up to 37.6 tons of cargo with a take-off weight of 141 tons. landing characteristics the Japanese create a military transport aircraft very close to the European A400M.
C-2
For effective combat use, the aircraft is equipped with modern tactical flight planning systems, including at ultra-low altitudes, night vision devices, automated loading and unloading devices, and in-flight refueling equipment.
Unlike the previous generation MTC, the C-2 must comply with civil airworthiness standards and fly on commercial routes without restrictions. In the future, it is planned to build a specialized civilian version of the vehicle. C-2 engines were also chosen with a "commercial focus" - these are American General Electric CF6-80C2, similar to those used on the Boeing 767.
The first flight of the aircraft took place on January 26, 2010. Currently, "Kawasaki" delivered to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces four C-2, which are undergoing military trials. A total of 40 aircraft are planned to be built for the armed forces.
In the Maritime Self-Defense Forces, there is a need to replace the R-3 Orion aircraft. The proposed US patrol-anti-submarine P-8 "Poseidon" was rejected, since it mainly patrolled and searched for submarines at medium altitudes, and the Japanese naval aviation needed an aircraft capable of flying at low altitudes for a long time.
In parallel with the development of the military transport C-2, the Kawasaki corporation was developing a naval anti-submarine patrol aircraft. At the first stage of development, it was assumed that the new patrol aircraft of naval aviation would be unified in most parts and on-board systems with the transport aircraft being created.
However, the tasks of these aircraft are too different, which predetermined fundamental differences in the fuselage, wing, number of engines, landing gear and onboard systems. The developers failed to achieve significant unification and the output turned out to be two dissimilar aircraft. Which, however, is not surprising, the mass of the anti-submarine is 80 tons, and the transport ship is 141 tons (the difference is about 76%). The only common airplanes are: cockpit glazing, detachable wing parts, horizontal tail consoles, a dashboard in the cockpit, and a part of avionics.
The development program for a new patrol aircraft, designated P-1, despite the fact that it took off only in 2012, has generally advanced further than the transport C-2. Apparently, the creation and coordination of complex electronic search systems and control equipment turned out to be an easier task for the Japanese industry than fine-tuning the airframe of a transport aircraft.
P-1
The R-1 became the world's first production aircraft with a new type of control system - fiber optic. Compared to the already traditional fly-by-wire system, it has a much higher resistance to electromagnetic compatibility problems, as well as to the effects of an electromagnetic pulse in a nuclear explosion. The aircraft is powered by original Japanese Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries XF7-10 engines.
The equipment installed on the R-1 is designed to perceive all spectra of the submarine's physical fields. In terms of its capabilities, this equipment is not inferior to that installed on the American P-8 Poseidon. On board, in addition to the radar with a phased antenna array and a magnetometer, there are hydroacoustic buoys, television and low-level infrared cameras. The P-1 anti-submarine aircraft is equipped with a cargo compartment, which houses anti-submarine torpedoes or free-fall aerial bombs. Anti-ship missiles can be installed on 8 underwing pylons. The aircraft's maximum combat load is 9 tons.
Currently, several P-1 patrol aircraft have already entered the Japanese Naval Aviation. In total, the Japanese Ministry of Defense is going to purchase 70 of these aircraft, which will have to replace 80 outdated P-3Cs. At the same time, the total number of patrol aircraft of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will decrease, but, according to the military, this is fully offset by the significant advantage of the new aircraft in reconnaissance capabilities and flight speed over the old patrol P-3C.
According to a number of aviation experts, the P-1 patrol has good export prospects. In case of an increase in the number of aircraft produced, the price for one aircraft (now it is 208, 3 million dollars) will decrease and the R-1 can become a significant competitor to the American P-8 (worth 220 million dollars). At the same time, in terms of its ability to search for submarines, the Japanese plane is not inferior to the American one. The advantage of "Poseidon" is a longer patrol time (by 1 hour), but for the majority of potential customers, unlike the United States, there is no need for global control over the oceans. In addition, the Japanese P-1 is better suited for low-altitude flights, which is not unimportant when performing search and rescue missions in distress at sea. At the end of 2014, information appeared that the British Navy became interested in the P-1 patrol aircraft, which remained after the decommissioning of the Nimrod aircraft without patrol and anti-submarine aircraft.
But the most ambitious recent Japanese combat aviation project was the 5th generation F-X fighter. Its development began in 2004 after the United States refused to supply the Air Defense Forces with F-22A fighters.
In terms of aerodynamic design and shapes, the 5th generation Japanese fighter Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin is very similar to the American F-22A fighter. The powerful turbojet engines used in the aircraft will allow it to reach speeds many times higher than the speed of sound, and without going into afterburner mode. The project was supposed to be completed by 2015, but due to a number of technical problems, this, most likely, will not happen.
According to rumors, all control systems of the Sinsin aircraft will use optical communication technologies (the control system is functionally similar to that used on the P-1 patrol), with the help of which enormous amounts of information can be transmitted at high speed through optical cables. In addition, the optical channels are not affected by electromagnetic pulses and ionizing radiation.
But the most innovative system of the future fighter should be the Self-Repairing Flight Control Capability system. The "nervous system" of the sensors of this system will permeate the entire structure and all components of the aircraft, with the help of the information collected by these sensors, the system will be able to detect and identify any failure, any malfunction or damage, and reprogram the control system in order to save the maximum possible control over the aircraft under these conditions.
Fifth generation ATD-X fighter prototype
On July 12, 2014, the Technical Research and Design Institute (TRDI) of the Japan Self-Defense Forces distributed the first official photographs of the first prototype of the Japanese demonstrator of the advanced fifth-generation ATD-X fighter. The aircraft, developed under the leadership of TRDI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was built and rolled out at the Tobisima plant.
Currently, the Air Self-Defense Forces and the Japanese Naval Aviation are in service with about 700 aircraft of the main types. For the most part, these are fairly modern and combat-ready vehicles. It should be noted that the proportion of technically serviceable combat-ready vehicles capable of performing a combat mission is higher than even in the United States. This became possible thanks to the creation of an excellent repair and restoration base and the construction of shelters to protect from the weather.
The weak point of the Japanese Air Force is still "defensive focus". Japanese fighters are mainly aimed at solving air defense missions and are not capable of delivering effective strikes against ground targets.
This deficiency should be partially eliminated after the start of deliveries in 2015 of F-35A fighters (the first batch of 42 aircraft). However, in the event of an armed conflict with neighbors, the insufficient strike potential of the Japanese Air Force will be compensated for by the aviation of the 5th Air Force of the US Air Force (headquarters at Yokota airbase), which includes 3 aviation wings equipped with the most modern combat aircraft, including the 5th generation. F-22A. As well as carrier-based aircraft of the 7th operational fleet of the US Navy, which is constantly operating in the Western Pacific. The headquarters of the 7th Fleet Commander is located at the Yokosuka PVMB. The US Navy Carrier Strike Force is almost permanently located in the region, which includes at least one aircraft carrier.
In addition to the licensed production of foreign aircraft equipment, the Japanese aviation industry in recent years has been demonstrating the ability to independently create and produce samples that meet high international standards. Japan no longer wants to be content with American military aircraft and depend on the political situation in relations with the United States. In addition, recently there has been a tendency for Japan to move away from the "defensive principles" of the structure of the armed forces. All this is clearly manifested in the adoption of nationally developed military aircraft.
