Japan's ATD-X stealth fighter suffers funding crunch

SOURCE:Flight International

Japan's ATD-X stealth fighter suffers funding crunch
By Siva Govindasamy


Japan is unlikely to get the funding required to construct a stealth
fighter demonstrator in 2008, with industry sources expecting the
finance ministry to release only enough money to continue design and
technology studies.

The ATD-X project has been in the works for several years, and the
defence ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute received
the go-ahead last year to build and fly a small demonstrator. The
project appeared to take on added urgency after the USA refused to
provide information on the Lockheed Martin F-22 for Japan's upcoming F-X
fighter competition.

But money is tight, with the defence ministry also keen to accelerate
upgrades to its Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/Boeing F-15s, and Tokyo's
procurement budget also continuing to fall. The ATD-X project received
only ¥7 billion ($43 million) of the ¥49.9 billion that the TRDI had
requested last year, and industry sources say this year is also likely
to be disappointing.

"Given the gloomy economic prognosis for the coming years, budgets are
likely to shrink even further. As a result, the MoD will most likely
have to prioritise the F-15 upgrades over the ATD-X programme," says a
Tokyo-based industry source.

MHI, which has licence-produced most of Japan's fighters, is the lead
contractor for the new programme. The ATD-X is similar in size to the
Saab Gripen, and will be powered by two Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy
Industries XF5 afterburning, thrust-vectoring engines derived from the
XF7 turbofan powering Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries XP-1 maritime
patrol aircraft.

Some info and pics on the Mitsubishi Shinshin from 12/2007:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...d-04d19b25d322

Rob

On Sep 3, 10:02*pm, Rob Arndt wrote:
Some info and pics on the Mitsubishi Shinshin from 12/2007:http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...plckController...

Rob

That looks like something from Star Blazers!

David E. Powell wrote:
On Sep 3, 10:02 pm, Rob Arndt wrote:

Some info and pics on the Mitsubishi Shinshin from 12/2007:http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...plckController...

Rob


That looks like something from Star Blazers!

I loved that show. One day I hope to see the Yamato fly.....

On Sep 4, 4:56*pm, Tiger wrote:
David E. Powell wrote:
On Sep 3, 10:02 pm, Rob Arndt wrote:

Some info and pics on the Mitsubishi Shinshin from 12/2007:http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...plckController...

Rob

That looks like something from Star Blazers!

I loved that show. One day I hope to see the Yamato fly.....

One of my favorites as a kid. If they name their new Squadron of those
fighters the "Starblazers" or the "Wildstars" that would be great.

Be a cool way to do ads for recruits too I guess!

David E. Powell wrote:
On Sep 3, 10:02 pm, Rob Arndt wrote:
Some info and pics on the Mitsubishi Shinshin from 12/2007:http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...plckController...

Rob

That looks like something from Star Blazers!

But can it transform into a Battroid like the veritech fighters on Super
Dimension Fortress Macross?

ALV

Older photo:
http://aviationweek.typepad.com/phot...5/rcsmodel.jpg

Rob

On Sep 4, 6:36*pm, Rob Arndt wrote:
Older photo:http://aviationweek.typepad.com/phot...07/06/05/rcsmo...

Rob

Tha'ts not a stealth.

On Sep 4, 8:16*pm, Andrew Venor wrote:
David E. Powell wrote:
On Sep 3, 10:02 wrote:
Some info and pics on the Mitsubishi Shinshin from 12/2007:http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...plckController...

Rob

That looks like something from Star Blazers!

But can it transform into a Battroid like the veritech fighters on Super
Dimension Fortress Macross?

ALV

I don't believe so, but I am not sure if they can klink together like
Voltron either....

On Sep 4, 2:59*am, Tiger wrote:
SOURCE:Flight International

Japan's ATD-X stealth fighter suffers funding crunch
By Siva Govindasamy

Japan is unlikely to get the funding required to construct a stealth
fighter demonstrator in 2008, with industry sources expecting the
finance ministry to release only enough money to continue design and
technology studies.


The ATD-X seems to have been a strategy to induce the US to release
the F-22 to Japan.
Now if the US isn't being persuaded then then this may just be a sign
from the funding side
of the Japanese government that they either have a lack of confidence
and that
they want Japanese companies to do more homework before they commit
real
money or just a stalling tactic. To save face they will eventually
commit I think.

In the 1980s the West Germans independently developed a stealth
aircraft that could have been a world
beater: http://www.f-104.de/exponates/englis...ridae_eng.html

The usual political tensions and funding problems manifested
themselves and the program
was allowed to die away, It does show however that other forward
thinkers were
also thinking in terms of stealth.