During the 1980s General Dynamics, the developer of the F-16, proposed another
version of the F-16 called the F-16 Agile Falcon. The US military opted not to get
involved because they were busy upgrading their present fleet as well as developing
the new F-22/JSF. Japan had decided to purchase the F-16 to replace its aging F-1
aircraft but then decided to develop the F-16 Agile Falcon concept. The new aircraft for
the JASDF (Japan Air Self Defense Force) would be the F-2 and manufactured with a
60/40 split between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin
bought General Dynamics in 1993. Production started in 1996 with the first aircraft being
delivered in 2000. 94 of the F-2 aircraft are scheduled to be manufactured. It might look
like an F-16 but the Mitsubishi F-2 is a completely new fighter. The general shape may
say F-16 and a few things that the F-2 and the F-16 have common are the engine,
landing gear, air intake door and the 20 mm gun. But the F-2 has a longer and wider
nose to accommodate phased-array radar with 25% larger wing. It is made from a
composite material to reduce weight and radar signature, a larger tail plane and larger
air intake. The pilot canopy is a stronger three-piece construction. The F-2 is equipped
with a drogue chute just like the NATO version of the F-16. The single seat fighter is the
F-2A while the two seat version (F-2B) is a trainer that is fully combat capable.

The second prototype of the Mitsubishi XF-2B was 63-0004 and delivered to the
Technical Research and Development Institute. In 1996 the designations F2-A was
assigned for the single-seat variant and F-2B for the dual-seat. In December of 1997,
the serial numbers of all four XF-2 prototypes were changed from the TRDI designations
to JASDF system so 63-0004 became 63-8102. 63-8102 was turned over to the JASDF
Air Development and Test Wing at Gifu in September 1997. When the F-2B went into
production their serial numbers were in the 8100 range.

Specifications Mitsubishi F-2A & F-2B

Nickname - Viper Zero

Designation
F-2A - Single-seat Multi-role fighter
F-2B - Two-seat training version, fully combat capable

Performance
Powerplant: (1) General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan
Dry thrust - 76 kN (17,000 lbf)
Thrust with afterburner - 131 kN (29,500 lbf)
Maximum speed - Mach 2.0
Range - 520 miles   (834 km) on anti-ship mission
Service ceiling - 59,000 ft   (18,000 m)

Dimensions
Length - 50 ft 11 in   (15.52 m)
Wingspan - 36 ft 6 in   (11.13 m)
Height - 15 ft 5 in   (4.69 m)
Wing area - 375 ft²   (34.84 m²)

Weights
Empty - 21,000 lb   (9,527 kg)
Loaded - 33,000 lb   (15,000 kg)
Max takeoff - 48,700 lb   (22,100 kg)

Armament
(1) 20 mm JM61A1 cannon
Capable of carrying up to 17,820 lb   (8,085 kg) weapon load on 11 hard points. They
are located - #1 and #11 at the wing tips, #2-5 and #7-10 under the wings, and #6 under
the fuselage.
Possible Weapons
Air-to-air - AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, Mitsubishi AAM-3, Mitsubishi AAM-4
Air-to-ground - ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles.
Various free-fall bombs with GCS-1 IIR seeker heads, Mk 82 and JM177 bombs
CBU-87, JDAM and JLAU-3/A or RL-4 rocket pods.
Others - J/AAQ-2 FLIR

Avionics
Mitsubishi Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system including J/APG-1.
Some differences between the F-2 and the F-16
F-2 has a 25% larger wing area.
F-2 is manufactured using composite materials to reduce overall weight and radar
signature.
F-2 is longer and wider nose to accommodate phased-array radar.
F-2 has a larger tail-plane.
F-2 has a larger air intake.
F-2 has a three-piece cockpit canopy.
F-2 is equipped with a drogue parachute.

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