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Mitsubishi F-1 (Supersonic Rei-Sen)

1978 COLD WAR

History of the Mitsubishi F-1 (Supersonic Rei-Sen)

In the decades after World War II (1939-1945), Japan's defense industry was rebuilt. After the U.S. occupation of Japan ended in 1952, the island nation established the Self-Defense Forces (1954) to protect itself and continued its relationship with the U.S. through the 1960 Security Treaty. With the rise of Mach 2 supersonic fighters - the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) themselves evaluated Mach 2 capable Lockheed F-104 "Starfighter" and Mach 2 Douglas F-4 "Phantom II" in the 1960s - The country lacks viable supersonic trainers for its next-generation fighter pilots. Although Japanese authorities were close to a deal with the European powers to license the British and French SEPECAT "Jaguar" strike platforms, they eventually turned in a different direction, trying to develop a product using a form and function similar to the European one.

In 1967, Mitsubishi's entry emerged from competing designs from Fuji and Kawasaki, resulting in the Mitsubishi "T-2" - a two-seater, twin-engine jet-powered trainer capable of reaching speeds of 1,050 mph. The aircraft also retained some combat power, with an internal cannon and three mounts for external ammunition and wingtip missiles. After its introduction in 1975, around 90 examples of this type were eventually produced.

These aircraft provided decades of faithful service before being retired in March 2006.

With the cancellation of the stand-alone Kawasaki project, funds were allocated for a single-seat attack platform based on the T-2 advanced trainer. The T-2 fuselage was nominally modified to include a reinforced fuselage, additional underwing hardpoints (2), a nose-located search and ranging radar (initially J/AWG-11, then J/ AWG-12 series) and lost the trainer's rear cockpit, replaced by avionics and a simplified canopy on the revised upper fuselage. The aircraft was called "FS-T2-Kai" in two prototype forms and recorded its maiden flight on June 3, 1975.

In the same year, the evaluation model was passed to the Air Validation Wing in Gifu. After successfully passing the required testing phase, the aircraft was officially launched under the codename "F-1", becoming Japan's first locally developed and produced fighter jet (jet) since the end of World War II.

The F-1 officially entered service in April 1978. Production of the F-1 continued into 1987, with a total of 77 aircraft built. It is worth noting that the development of the F-1 has the participation of Fuji.

Most of the physics of the advanced T-2 were retained in the F-1 design. The aircraft has a sleek design, not unlike the Anglo-French Jaguar, but with a more refined silhouette. The fuselage is board-side with a large tubular frame that houses the radar suite, cockpit, avionics, support systems, fuel storage and engines.

The radar assembly is mounted in the nose cone, followed by the cockpit. The pilot had excellent visibility from the cockpit, especially forward, to the sides and above the aircraft, although rear visibility was limited due to the elevated spine of the fuselage. The internal twin-engine setup draws in through a dual-intake design with rectangular openings on the sides of the fuselage behind the cockpit.

The wings are mounted high, with a pair of hardpoints on each wing. There is also a central fuselage hardpoint designed for jettisonable fuel storage and underwing hardpoints. The wingtips are attached to fire short-range air-to-air missiles.

The tail consists of a vertical tail and a pair of fully moving horizontal planes sloping downward. The F-1 was equipped with a retractable tricycle landing gear with two main legs and one front leg - all single wheels.

Overall, the F-1 is 58 feet 7 inches long, with a wingspan of 25 feet 10.25 inches and a height of 14 feet 8 inches. The aircraft has an empty weight of 14,000 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight of 30,150 pounds.

The F-1 is powered by two Ishikawa-Harima Industries (IHI) TF40-IHI-801A series (reheated) turbofan engines, producing 5,115 pounds of thrust (dry) and 7,300 pounds of thrust (with afterburner on) room). By the way, this is the same Rolls-Royce Turbomeca "Adour" turbofan that powers European Jaguar, although it's built under license in Japan under the designation TF-40.

This gives the airframe a top speed of 1,050 mph, a combat radius of 345 miles, and a ferry range of 1,785 miles. The F-1 can reach a service cap of 50,000 feet at a climb rate of nearly 35,000 feet per minute.

By comparison, the Anglo-French Jaguar has a top speed of 1,050 mph, a combat radius of 560 miles, a ferry range of 2,190 miles and a service ceiling of 45,900 feet.

Standard armament for Mitsubishi products is a 1 x 20mm JM61A1 Vulcan Gatling cannon with six rotating barrels. This weapon is mounted internally and is used for close combat. With its five primary external hardpoints (wingtips reserved for anti-aircraft missiles), the F-1 can deploy a combination of air-to-air, air-to-surface and radar-guided anti-ship missiles. Additionally, the hardpoint supports rocket pods and traditional 500lb/750lb drop bombs.

Conversion kits can also use these weapons for precision bombing. All told, the F-1 can fulfill battlefield roles as a fighter, strike fighter, and anti-ship platform, essentially presenting itself as a multi-role aircraft system.

The production of the F-1 was carried out by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and their service provider proved to be reliable, although no one had seen combat in action. The F-1 was subsequently replaced by the updated Mitsubishi F-2, a US-Japanese joint venture based on the General Dynamics/Lockheed F-16C/D Fighting Falcon multi-role production line, albeit with significant service for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Revise. Additionally, as an interim solution, the aging line of F-4 Phantoms was upgraded to the F-4EJ "Kai" standard. Both the F-2 and F-4 are produced locally by Mitsubishi.

The F-1 officially entered service from the front line in March 2006, joining the retired T-2 advanced trainer. After the F-2 was introduced in 2000, its training function was taken over by the F-2.