Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Japan · first flew 2016 · fighter

The X-2 Shinshin is a Japanese stealth technology demonstrator built to prove Japan's ability to design a low-observable fighter airframe and advanced flight controls.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	faceted, stealth-shaped fuselage lines
T — Tail	Twin fin

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

twin canted vertical tails
faceted, stealth-shaped fuselage lines
single-seat cockpit on a compact fighter-sized airframe

Twin canted vertical tails, faceted stealth-shaped fuselage lines and a single-seat cockpit mark it as a stealth demonstrator rather than a production fighter.

Specifications

The Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin has a length of 14.17 m (46 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.1 m (30 ft).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 2016 after a long, closely watched development, the X-2 tested stealth shaping, indigenous engines and thrust-vectoring flight controls for future Japanese fighter programs.

Variants

Built as a single prototype; technology from the program has fed into Japan's subsequent next-generation fighter development.

Where you'll see it

Flown only in the test and evaluation program; not intended for operational service.

Related aircraft

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