Mitsubishi F-3 ATD-X

Did a search and nothing came up on this so I though I'd share this beauty with you all!

Here's a little back ground info:

The Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin is a Japanese aircraft being developed by the Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) for research purposes. ATD-X is an acronym meaning "Advanced Technology Demonstrator - X". The aircraft's Japanese name is 心神 (shin-shin) which means one's mind or simply mind. The main contractor is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The aircraft's first flight is scheduled for 2011.

Wiki link:

en.wikipedia.org...

That is a bit of old news. It has been disputed by the Japanese Ministry of Defense for being on the brink of contradicting Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution which forbids the Japanese Government from sustaining a military force capable of foreign operations.

Still, this aircraft is quite interesting. It has been seen as the Japanese version of the American F-22 Raptor, except it isn't as costly, nor is it as effective. The Japanese Government, however, has requested F-22 Raptors from the US, which would basically hinder the ATD-X operation seeing as how it would be unneeded.

F-22 Raptors to Japan?

The sale of Raptors to foreign countries is still banned, but that baby is truly a beauty. How gos the saying: "what looks good usually flies good".

I hope to hear more of that plane.

Originally posted by Swordbeast
The sale of Raptors to foreign countries is still banned, but that baby is truly a beauty. How gos the saying: "what looks good usually flies good".

I hope to hear more of that plane.

Well...the quote goes good almost every time....until you see the russian fighters like Sukhoi SU-30 MKI
Looks bad, but flies like nothing on earth..


But that Japanese plane, looks like something taken from the anime series Macross or something, looks like a hybrid plane, the long nose of a Sukhoi SU-27/30, the cockpit of a F-15 Eagle, and a body of a F-22 Raptor.....that looks like the ultimate...and could be the ultimate.

reply to post by MisterPbody


Great pix!

Decades in the making. I still remember reading articles about Japanese Ministry becoming more militant. Back in the mid- to late-90s they expressed an idea of having their own fighter to replace their F-15s and F-16s. And here it is.

Who here would be against Japan disregarding the ban on keeping a standing military? There are still a number of asians who hate Japanese for what they did in WW2. Of course, the hate goes both ways.

Maybe within another decade, Imperial Japan will return and have its own standing military, not a "Defense Force".

reply to post by guppy


If japan started building up its military it could be a powerhouse...same with germany.They could make one hell of a military if they wanted.If japan started though China wouldn't be too happy and we would see them also increasing their military budget.Anyway very cool fighter ..but i don't know much about military hardware.Looks sexy though.

[edit on 17-9-2009 by Solomons]

reply to post by Solomons


China should be wary. But it might not last that long knowing how fast China is progressing. Then again, it'd be interesting if Taiwan, South Korea and Japan become permanent allies. That'd create an interesting block against China's bid for superiority in the Far East.

And yes she does look S-E-X-Y! I especially like her curves.

I think it is a good-shape aircraft.

But Lockheed's F-35 maybe a better choice for japan airforce.

The problem is that the Japanese want a specialized air-defense aircraft, not a multirole aircraft like F-35.

Shinsen is optimized for speed and agility, not penetration of enemy air defense networks - a role superfluous for Japan's purely defensive strategic posture.

F-22 would be a better fit for them than F-35 (which they have expressed little interest in) for this reason.

Even if we do reverse course and offer them F-22, the new government, seeking a more independent foreign policy, may decide going ahead with the ATD-X better suits their needs.

Although it would be kind of cool to see F-22 with big red Hinomaru's on the wings

[edit on 9/18/09 by xmotex]

Originally posted by xmotex
The problem is that the Japanese want a specialized air-defense aircraft, not a multirole aircraft like F-35.

Shinsen is optimized for speed and agility, not penetration of enemy air defense networks - a role superfluous for Japan's purely defensive strategic posture.

F-22 would be a better fit for them than F-35 (which they have expressed little interest in) for this reason.

Even if we do reverse course and offer them F-22, the new government, seeking a more independent foreign policy, may decide going ahead with the ATD-X better suits their needs.

Although it would be kind of cool to see F-22 with big red Hinomaru's on the wings

[edit on 9/18/09 by xmotex]

For Japan，the biggest challenge maybe come from North Korea and the main attacking weapon of NK is intermediate-range ballistic missiles. In my opinion, F-22(include ATD-X) has weak use to defence the missiles' attack. so,The most important thing for Japan now is ABM system, NOT F-22 and such heavy fighters.

BTW, I was heard that the manufacturing plant of F-22 is in Underground. Is that true????


[edit on 18-9-2009 by Redhercules]

[edit on 18-9-2009 by Redhercules]

reply to post by Phoebus


The SU-30 MKI is like the AK-47 of the jetfighters; it might not look too "seksi" but it sure is capable of doing it's job.

And now that you mention it... yeah, the ATD-X actually DOES remind me of a plane from Macross... is that cool or what?