F-1 Support Fighter / T-2 Supersonic Trainer (original) (raw)

The Mitsubishi F1 attack aircraft, which is similar in configuration to the Jaguar, is the combat version of the T-2 trainer. The F-1 is a capable attack aircraft though with relatively short range, and can be used in interception missions carrying the AIM-9 missile. The F-1 aircraft is mainly used for close-range low-altitude support, with anti-ship and anti-ground attacks as its main combat styles. Its main targets are ships at sea, ground forces, material distribution centers, rear transportation hubs, and supply lines. It can also be used for air defense missions when necessary.

It has strong ground and sea attack capabilities and certain air defense capabilities. Simple structure, easy to fly, light weight, low air resistance. It has good compatibility with the T-2 advanced trainer aircraft. The combat radius is small, the ammunition capacity is limited, and the rearview vision is poor.

For the F-1, the rear cockpit of the T-2 was faired over with the space used for additional fuel. Other modifications include the addition of two wing pylons and a fuselage pylon, and the 20mm Vulcan cannon of the T-2A armament trainer along with combat avionics. It adopts a conventional aerodynamic layout, a pointed cone-shaped nose, a high cockpit position, a good forward and downward field of vision, and a dorsal fin protruding from the rear edge of the cockpit. With twin engines, air intake on both sides, the air intake is located on the shoulders of the fuselage, the size is not large. There is a rectifier plate extending forward near the fuselage side, similar to the F-4 layout, the tail nozzle is located in front of the horizontal tail, the same as the Jaguar and F-4, the horizontal tail has a large downward angle, close to the angle of the F-4. Large single vertical tail, trapezoidal, with a swept leading edge and a trailing edge perpendicular to the fuselage plane. There is a pair of small ventral fins under the fuselage.

The biggest change between the F-1 and T-2 is the fire control system. The J/AWG-12 fire control system equipped with the F-1 is improved from the J/AWG-11 fire control radar, and is connected to the 97JP-1 modified optical sight, J/APN-44 radar altimeter, J/A24G-3 weather computer and J/ASQ-1 fire control computer. The operating wavelength of the radar is Ku band, the antenna specification is a slot antenna , and a sea mode is added. In sea mode, the theoretical maximum search distance is 72 kilometers. However, due to poor filtering capabilities of the radar processor, the actual detectable distance cannot reach the public parameters.

Jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries, it was the first Japanese self-developed fighter jet. The supersonic fighter produced and manufactured was therefore nicknamed " Supersonic Zero Warfare ". The Mitsubishi T-2 was developed as the supersonic trainer aircraft for JASDF. And also, JASDF required growth potential to support fighter of this trainer. During the Cold War , Japan's main enemy was the Soviet Pacific Fleet ; the Pacific Fleet was likely to invade Japan in amphibious mode or blockade Japanese waters. Therefore, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces attaches great importance to maritime offensive and defensive capabilities. However, in the 1970s, the main fighter aircraft of the Self-Defense Forces were the F-104Js dedicated to interception . Only the F-86Fs assembled with U.S. military aid in the 1950s were left to support sea and land attacks. The machine is no longer suitable for use in terms of performance. After the mass production of the T-1 trainer aircraft , the Technical Research Headquarters of the Defense Agency decided to maintain the three-level flight training system and develop a model that combines advanced supersonic trainer aircraft with light attack aircraft.

However, at that time, Japan's domestic environment was filled with decision-making noise regarding whether to develop its own supersonic aircraft. Since the Jaguar attack aircraft adopts the method of joint development and joint mass production between the two countries to reduce development costs and increase production quantity, the uniform team within the Defense Agency (generally referred to as Self-Defense Forces military officials) believed that it can follow the practice of the United States and first introduce T-38 trainer aircraft or F-5 fighter jets and other gradual arguments; of course, from the perspective of professional military decision-making, it is hoped to exclude uncertain variables. However, Japan operated in a civilian-led manner after the war.

The suit group (civilian) in the Defense Agency believed that the procurement of new fighter aircraft would have a leading effect in training domestic aviation technology professionals and improving the domestic industrial technology level. It was not just about whether it was economical or not. position considerations. Finally, under the premise of supporting the upgrading of domestic enterprises, we adopted a completely self-made route to develop new aircraft. The development works by ASTET (Advanced Supersonic Trainer Engineering Team) begun in 1967. After Japan decided to develop a new supersonic trainer aircraft, the T-2 trainer aircraft , it directly transformed this aircraft type into a combat attack aircraft, which became the "Fighter Support Second Phase (FS-X)" development plan implemented in the 1970s.

The initial requirement for F-1 was finalized in the Fourth Defense Maintenance Plan (4th Defense, Showa 47-51), replacing all 4 support fighter squadrons and supplementary aircraft at that time, a total of 126 fighters. However, due to insufficient funds due to the oil crisis , the production number was significantly reduced to 68 aircraft when the plan was decided. Only 26 aircraft were budgeted for the defense plan at that time; it was not until the "Defense Plan Outline" decided at the cabinet meeting in 1976 (Showa 51) that It was established that the future force size of the Air Self-Defense Force will be based on the ten squadrons of interceptors (250 aircraft) and the three squadrons of support fighters (100 aircraft). The 100 support fighters required by the three squadrons were 25 for a single squadron and the total number of reserve aircraft. However, in the mid-term business settlement of Showa 54 (1979), the support fighters were largely deleted to 18 for one squadron, and the F-1 production quantity was limited to 77 aircraft under the scale of the defense program outline, and the overall manufacturing was completed in 1981.

Since the development direction was decided at the beginning, the Self-Defense Forces appropriated two T-2 trainer aircraft (mass production No. 2, No. 106, mass production No. 3, No. 107) and directly used them in the project to transform them into F-1 fighter jets. These two fighters became "T-2 special model aircraft." The first prototype made its first flight at Nagoya Airport (Komaki Air Base), on 20 July 1971. The second and the third production of T-2 (#106 and #107) were converted to FST-2Kai, which were the prototypes of F-1 Support Fighter, on the assembly line. A total of 77 aircraft were built. In recent years, the aircraft has gradually aged, and the first two aircraft were retired on January 17, 1997. By March 1998, there were 59 F-1 aircraft. With the large-scale service of F-2 aircraft, F-1 aircraft will be eliminated, and by 2002, were only 26 aircraft left. All F-1s were retired from service in 2006.