日本首架隱形戰機

三菱重工 国産ステルス機「X-2」
三菱重工受日本防衛裝備廳委託設計和製造的隱型戰鬥機的實證機「X2」將在2月進行首次試飛。雖然這是日本的首架隱型戰鬥機，不過採用的最新技術已受到歐美的關注，例如小型化的機身、機動性突出的日本國産引擎以及不易被敵機雷達發現的機身表面等。這有望成為日本防衛産業的商機在全球擴大的契機。

Japan-made stealth aircraft takes to skies for 1st time

With an eye to the future, the nation’s first stealth airplane made its maiden flight on April 22, making Japan the fourth country in the world to successfully fly a manned stealth aircraft. The experimental X-2 jet took off from Nagoya Airport in central Japan at 8:47 a.m. and soared over Nagano and Gifu prefectures. After about 26 minutes, the X-2 landed at the Air Self-Defense Force’s Gifu Air Base in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture.

X2的歷時7年，研發了30萬個零部件，開發費約為400億日元。以三菱重工為首，主翼和尾翼由富士重工開發、駕駛艙周邊由川崎重工業負責，共有約220家企業參與研發。 X2採用可吸收敵機雷達波的特殊複合材料以及不易被雷達發現的機身形狀，提高了隱形性能。IHI開發的引擎機動性突出，能夠急速上升和下降。本防衛省等部門將在2018年度之前確定是由日本自主開發，還是匯總各國技術的國際共同開發。開發費用高達數十萬億日元的隱形戰鬥機通常都是由國際共同開發。與各國共同開發此次的隱形戰機，對於日本各大重工企業而言，銷售對象會由原來的日本防衛省擴大到全球的國防機構。

Developed as a test bed for stealth technology planned to be incorporated in the ASDF’s next-generation fighter, the X-2 is equipped with high-powered, compact engines and is designed to be highly manoeuvrable. “The aircraft is significant in securing the technology needed in the development of a future fighter plane,” Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at an April 22 news conference. More than 200 companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and IHI Corp., have participated in the X-2 project. The project started in fiscal 2009 with a budget of about 40 billion yen ($366 million). The aircraft was completed in 2014. After trial runs of its engines, the stealth plane has been put through taxiing tests on the airport runway since February. The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency will further test the experimental jet, mainly from Gifu Air Base, to decide on incorporating the X-2’s stealth technology in the nation’s future fighter jets by fiscal 2018.