Mitsubishi T-2

Mitsubishi T-2
Country	Japan
Role	Supersonic jet trainer
First flight	20 July 1971
Built	96

The Mitsubishi T-2 was a supersonic jet trainer aircraft used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Introduced in 1975, it was the first Japanese-designed aircraft to break the sound barrier. It was the basis of the Mitsubishi F-1 strike fighter. All T-2s were retired by 2006.

Source: Mitsubishi T-2 on Wikipedia

Mitsubishi T-2 Walk Around
Photographer	Meindert de Vreeze
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	34

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Development and Strategic Importance

The Mitsubishi T-2 was a milestone for the Japanese aerospace industry, representing the first time a domestically designed aircraft broke the sound barrier (achieved in 1971). Developed to replace the aging F-86 Sabre in the advanced training role, it provided the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) with a high-performance platform to train pilots for Mach 2-class fighters. Its sleek, “pen-like” design was heavily influenced by the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar, sharing a similar high-wing, twin-engine configuration. Beyond training, the T-2 served as the direct airframe basis for the Mitsubishi F-1, Japan’s first indigenous supersonic strike fighter.

Attribute	Standard Specification (Mitsubishi T-2)
Role	Supersonic Advanced Jet Trainer
Crew	2 (Student and Instructor in tandem)
Powerplant	2 x Ishikawajima-Harima TF40-IHI-801A afterburning turbofans
Maximum Speed	Mach 1.6 (approx. 1,700 km/h) at 11,000 m
Length	17.85 meters (58 ft 7 in)
Wingspan	7.88 meters (25 ft 10 in)
Empty Weight	6,197 kg (13,662 lb)
Service Ceiling	15,240 meters (50,000 ft)

Design and Flight Characteristics

Vectored Controls: Unlike many of its contemporaries, the T-2 utilized spoilers on the upper wing surfaces for roll control instead of traditional ailerons, allowing for full-span trailing-edge flaps to improve low-speed performance.
Stability Features: The slab tailplanes feature a prominent 15-degree anhedral (downward slope) to keep them clear of the wing wash and engine exhaust, ensuring stability at high supersonic speeds.
Avionics Suit: The armed T-2(K) variant was equipped with a Mitsubishi Electric J/AWG-11 search and ranging radar and a license-built Thomson-CSF Head-Up Display (HUD).
CCV Variant: A special “Control Configured Vehicle” (T-2 CCV) was used to test early digital fly-by-wire technology and featured distinctive horizontal and vertical canards on the forward fuselage.

Service and Blue Impulse

The Blue Impulse Era: The T-2 is fondly remembered as the mount for the JASDF’s “Blue Impulse” aerobatic team from 1982 to 1995. It brought a new level of power and noise to their displays, though its high wing-loading made for much larger turning radii than the previous Sabres.
Aggressor Role: A small number of T-2s were used by the JASDF Tactical Fighter Training Group (Aggressors) to simulate Soviet-bloc aircraft threats until they were replaced by the F-15J.
Variants: Produced in two main versions—the T-2(Z) “Zenkigata” (early unarmed trainer) and the T-2(K) “Kokigata” (late armed version).
Armament: The armed version carried a 20mm JM61A1 Vulcan cannon and was capable of carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on wingtip rails.