(Mitsubishi F-1 fighter)
The Mitsubishi fighter is Japan's first self-developed and produced supersonic fighter after the war, jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries, it is essentially a modified Mitsubishi T-2 trainer aircraft, with specialized anti-ship and ground attack functions.
History
In 1954, the Japanese National Police Reserve was reorganized into the Defense Agency and established the Land, Sea, and Air Self-Defense Forces. "Defensive" tasks can only be carried out in accordance with the principles of a peaceful constitution and total defense, but as a result of the establishment of the Self-Defense Forces, parts of the previously banned defence industry have been lifted.
On January 6, 1955, the U.S. Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF) agreed to hand over 85 aircraft to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which emerged as Japan's first specialized aviation force.
(The T-33 Meteor was the first jet of the Air Self-Defense Force.)
The Air Self-Defense Force's first service jet was the Lockheed T-33 Meteor trainer, and the Air Self-Defense Force deployed a total of 287 in phases. The Air Self-Defense Force's first fighter was the F-86F fighter, followed by the F-86D and F-104J fighters. In the process, the Aviation Self-Defense Force tried to gradually try to build a domestic aircraft, and ShinMeiwa developed a research aircraft UF-XS in 1963, on the basis of which the PS-1 was introduced.
In 1971, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' T-2 trainer, Japan's first aircraft developed using its own technology, was commissioned. As the Air Self-Defense Forces began to make heavy use of supersonic fighters, it was necessary to develop a full-fledged advanced trainer aircraft to train jet pilots. Hence the launch of the advanced trainer development project TX. This is to reduce costs by integrating them into one platform, as it is costly to develop and replace fighters and trainers that have reached the end of their life cycle separately.
(Mitsubishi licensed the F-104J to be produced and supplied to the Aviation Self-Defense Forces.)
In 1967, the Japanese Defense Agency received designs from Fuji Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In September 1967, The mitsubishi Heavy Industries proposal was adopted. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries released the no. 1 prototype tentatively named XT-2 on April 28, 1971, and made its first successful flight on July 20, and then successfully broke through the speed of sound, becoming the first aircraft developed in Japan to break through the speed of sound. Since August 1973, the Air Self-Defense Force has designated the XT-2 as a "T-2" trainer aircraft.
(The F-1 is Japan's first domestic fighter to convert the T-2 trainer into an attack aircraft.)
However, unlike the original plan, the fighter modification program did not start immediately, mainly because the cost of the T-2 development project was unexpectedly over budget. In addition, the T-2's aircraft modification project continued to be delayed due to the Japanese parliament's repeated demands on the Defense Agency to introduce models that had been tested overseas, rather than untested domestic fighters. Eventually, the Japanese Defense Agency decided to abandon the development of a single-seat fighter, but with the cancellation of the P-XL plan for the maritime patrol aircraft developed earlier by the Defense Agency to replace the Kawasaki P-2J, the funds were released and a budget surplus appeared. As a result, the FS-T2 'Kai' project, which converted the T-2 into an attack aircraft, was launched in 1973.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries signed a contract in 1973 to develop the F-1 and confirmed that it would replace the F-86 when deployed. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries participated in the F-1 modification project as the main contractor, and Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru) participated in the project as a subcontractor. In addition, it was decided that Mitsubishi Electric would be responsible for the electrical system. The FS-T2 was officially renamed the F-1 with the approval of the Secretary of Defense.
The Air Self-Defense Force initially planned to introduce 160 F-1s, but in 1972 the number was reduced to 96 due to budgetary problems caused by high development costs. Mass production began after the 1975 oil crisis. On February 25, 1977, the first mass production aircraft was released, and the first mass production aircraft flew successfully in June 1975. The Japan Air Self-Defense Forces received aircraft in April 1978.
features
The Mitsubishi F-1 is a third-generation fighter based on the principle of total defense, developed as a fighter jet for interception from the sea when an enemy attempts to conduct amphibious operations on the Japanese mainland. The F-1's primary mission was interception, but it could perform both air-to-ship and anti-ship attack missions to prevent the enemy navy from approaching the Japanese mainland ahead of schedule.
(F-1 lands at Misawa Air Self-Defense Force base)
(The T-2 has a canopy made of a few pieces of glass, but the F-1 has been replaced by a teardrop-shaped one-piece.)
The F-1 is a twin-engine supersonic fighter powered by ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries' (now IHI Heavy Industries) TF-40-801A engines, and the F-1 has a combat range of about 300 nautical miles and a range of up to 1550 nautical miles.
(F-1 engine parts on display at the Air Self-Defense Forces Museum in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.)
The F-1 was armed with a 20 mm JM61A1 air-cooled six-barrel Vulcan cannon. The lower part of the fuselage is equipped with 1 mounting point, the lower part of the wing is equipped with 2, and a launch rail is installed at each end of the wing, which can mount two short-range air-to-air missiles. Mounted weapons AIM-9L Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile, AAM-1, Type 80 airship missile, Type 93 airship missile/anti-ship missile, JLAU-3A 70mm rocket pod, RL-7 70mm rocket, RL-4 rocket, Mk. 82 and M117 bombs.
(The F-1 fighter can use the Mk 82 universal bomb (left) or the ASM-1 anti-ship missile (right))
In terms of fire control radar, an upgraded version of the J/AWG-11 mounted on the T-2 was used, the J/AWG-12. The F-1 adds an ASM mode for anti-ship attacks, enables long-range searches, and supports a detection range of up to 72 km. For electronic warfare support, a J/APR-2-based J/APR-3 Radar Alarm Receiver (RWR), also mounted on the F-4EJ, was installed, with the receiving antenna protruding from the nose and nose. Vertical tail wing, which is different from the T-2 in appearance. The installation of electronic warfare response equipment (ECM) was initially considered, but was not eventually adopted.
The health status
Initially 77 were deployed as the F-1 entered the mass production of the Air Self-Defense Force's 3rd Wing (Tsuchimori City, Ibaraki Prefecture), the 8th Wing, and the 6th Wing (Tsukiji City, Fukuoka Prefecture).
(F-1 of the 3rd Squadron of the Air Self-Defense Force)
In the 1990s, the Air Self-Defense Force conducted an F-1 Life Extension Program (SLEP) that extended airframe life from 3,500 hours to 4,000 hours. As part of the SLEP project, 70 F-1s were overhauled between 1991 and 1993, replacing new fire control systems, replacing high-strength frame covers, and installing XGCS guided bombs.
(A Mitsubishi F-1 on display on the runway of the Air Self-Defense Force's Komaki Base.)
The F-1 has had only one crash during its service life. On August 25, 1998, two F-1s of the Third Wing crashed during a night flight.
(The last F-1 aircraft was painted in 2005 to commemorate its 30th anniversary.)
Mass production of the Mitsubishi F-1 began in 1975 and by 1987 77 were produced. It was phased out from the early 2000s and decommissioned in March 2006.
(The Mitsubishi F-1 is parked at Chikuki Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture.) The seal at the end commemorates the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Air Self-Defense Force)