It looks to have a true radar mount Japan must be pushing the project ahead the Chinese J-50 likely scared them a lot. They likely want something in the air to prove the project is still viable.
Hey if it’s something they are working on that we could see flying in all for it
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They need to get something in the air or risk looking like a burn money project. Or guarantee China has 6th gen and you have nothing.
is not really getting scared by the J-50 in specific, china has been upgrading their airpower ever since the J20 and not only that but the need of a new generation aircraft was standing ever since the F-X and japan knows that they need to accelerate the project if they wanna fight new generation aircraft and 2040’s is not an option, is not a situation of being scared, is more being prepared for the worst
the international treaty with GCAP helps quite a lot with this and makes it more likely for the project to continue even with funding issues altough at a slower rate that’s the only issue, but considering later fundings i hope this wont be an issue
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So it’s true, they secretly completed it!
(More likely it’s X-2, seems like the same T-4 cockpit shape)
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It does have the shape I would not bet on that uma but it would be funny if they did the classic Japan of ya we stopped funding that project a while ago.
lol no we did not!
If it is the project they got farther then reported or they just put it in storage and there moving it now because they need the space.
Could also be a move prop or a fake plane and Japan intelligence is trolling they recently over hulled there whole intelligence organization need that first op.
Could be many things and it would be funny if it is that old project was kept around as some sort of low level export project like the J-35.
If we figure out what this plane is by the rules it can be suggested and added.
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Yeah something like that would be amazing, but by the shape it seems like it just matches X-2 again. It was mostly a joke from my end to mention F-X because of the last time we saw covered X-2 in photos.
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One can dream. </3
i would think it was the X-2 but some stuff dosent fit right, first of all, just the shape of it without the tail its already slightly bigger than the X-2’s full body, and to top it off there is no reason to straight up cut off the wings and tail from an X-2 for transport, mostly because its moved from airfield to airfield by flying it, another thing that i will point out is that we saw X-2’s full body behind cover before, a single picture of it, it is noticeably bigger compared to the X-2…
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Could it be a F-2?
Dont think so the shape and size its still off, likely tech demonstrator as It was due to fly in 2027 with a working prototype by this year
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Does this sort of match what FCAD is supposed to look like?
Because what would be the point in having 2 (or 3, assuming Italy also does one) differing demonstrators, if the final GCAP design is being finalized at this point in time?
might have local modifications for specific roles. Japan in particular needs much longer ranges in the Pacific than what Europe requires
Last I checked that was being built in the UK. Doubt they’d shunt it half way round the world for whatever reason when they need it flying by next year.
Each one Is building their own tech demonstrator wich Will bring some of each other tech together but with different variarions between countries to see what Is gonna merge from each country
Yeah that’s the point, each one having different demostrators to merge It later into what tech seems More interesting and maybe some Will have their own different variants
The other tech demos are flying avionics labs, not smaller scale platforms like FCAD.
iirc the Japanese one is based on a C-2 cargo plane and the Italian one a gulfstream, the UK has a 757 for the same purpose.
No im talking about full blown fighter looking and size models kind of similar to what the X-2 was