Hobby Master Archive

During the 1980s General Dynamics, the developer of the F-16, proposed another version of the F-16 called the F-16 Agile Falcon. The US military opted not to get involved because they were busy upgrading their present fleet as well as developing the new F-22/JSF. Japan had decided to purchase the F-16 to replace its aging F-1 aircraft but then decided to develop the F-16 Agile Falcon concept. The new aircraft for the JASDF (Japan Air Self Defense Force) would be the F-2 and manufactured with a 60/40 split between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin bought General Dynamics in 1993. Production started in 1996 with the first aircraft being delivered in 2000. 94 of the F-2 aircraft are scheduled to be manufactured. It might look like an F-16 but the Mitsubishi F-2 is a completely new fighter. The general shape may say F-16 and a few things that the F-2 and the F-16 have common are the engine, landing gear, air intake door and the 20 mm gun. But the F-2 has a longer and wider nose to accommodate phased-array radar with 25% larger wing. It is made from a composite material to reduce weight and radar signature, a larger tail plane and larger air intake. The pilot canopy is a stronger three-piece construction. The F-2 is equipped with a drogue chute just like the NATO version of the F-16. The single seat fighter is the F-2A while the two seat version (F-2B) is a trainer that is fully combat capable.

On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9 earthquake rocked Northeastern Japan and created a gigantic tsunami (tidal wave) that devastated the entire area. As the water rushed over land it found its way onto the Matsushima AB destroying or damaging 18 F-2 jets. It wasn’t until March 2016 when the base was restored that F-2B 33-8116 wearing a special paint scheme made a commemorative flight at Matsushima to mark the return of the 21st Squadron. F-2B 33-8116 was the third F-2 to be restored after the tsunami.

Specifications Mitsubishi F-2A & F-2B Nickname - Viper Zero Designation F-2A - Single-seat Multi-role fighter F-2B - Two-seat training version, fully combat capable Performance Powerplant: (1) General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan Dry thrust - 76 kN (17,000 lbf) Thrust with afterburner - 131 kN (29,500 lbf) Maximum speed - Mach 2.0 Range - 520 miles (834 km) on anti-ship mission Service ceiling - 59,000 ft (18,000 m)

Dimensions Length - 50 ft 11 in (15.52 m) Wingspan - 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m) Height - 15 ft 5 in (4.69 m) Wing area - 375 ft² (34.84 m²)

Weights Empty - 21,000 lb (9,527 kg) Loaded - 33,000 lb (15,000 kg) Max takeoff - 48,700 lb (22,100 kg)

Armament (1) 20 mm JM61A1 cannon Capable of carrying up to 17,820 lb (8,085 kg) weapon load on 11 hard points. They are located - #1 and #11 at the wing tips, #2-5 and #7-10 under the wings, and #6 under the fuselage. Possible Weapons Air-to-air - AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, Mitsubishi AAM-3, Mitsubishi AAM-4 Air-to-ground - ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles. Various free-fall bombs with GCS-1 IIR seeker heads, Mk 82 and JM177 bombs CBU-87, JDAM and JLAU-3/A or RL-4 rocket pods. Others - J/AAQ-2 FLIR Avionics Mitsubishi Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system including J/APG-1. Some differences between the F-2 and the F-16 F-2 has a 25% larger wing area. F-2 is manufactured using composite materials to reduce overall weight and radar signature. F-2 is longer and wider nose to accommodate phased-array radar. F-2 has a larger tail-plane. F-2 has a larger air intake. F-2 has a three-piece cockpit canopy. F-2 is equipped with a drogue parachute.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA2714 Japan F-2B “Return to Matsushima AB” 33-8116, 4th AW, 21st SQ , JASDF, March 2016

Superb detailing in 1/72 scale. Pre-painted with pad applied markings. Fully assembled. Comes with 4 GBU-38 smart bombs. Weapons that are not permanently attached. Comes with crew figures Display stand included. Option to display model with wheels up or down. Minimum use of plastic.

Model comes with 6 empty wing pylons and 1 center fuel tank