Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-2>HA2714
Japan F-2B "Return to Matsushima AB" 33-8116, 4th AW, 21st SQ , JASDF, March 2016
General Background
During the 1980s the U.S. military wasn’t interested in an updated version of the F-16 so they passed on the opportunity. Japan was replacing some of their aging fleet and decided to develop the new F-16 Agile Falcon in cooperation with Mitsubishi and Lockheed Martin. Production began in 1996 with the first aircraft being delivered in 2000. The new aircraft was named the F-2 and soon earned the nickname “Viper Zero”. Although the F-2 looks similar to the original F-16 it is larger in almost every aspect.
The Aircraft
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 :
| Nickname: | Viper Zero |
| Designation: | |
| F-2A | Single-seat Multi-role fighter |
| F-2B | Two-seat training version, fully combat capable |
| Performance | |
| Powerplant: | General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan |
| Max 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) |
| Height: | 15 ft 5 in (4.69 m) |
| Wingspan: | 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m) |
| Wing Area: | 375 ft² (34.84 m²) |
| Weights | |
| Empty Weight: | 21,000 lb (9,527 kg) |
| Loaded: | 33,000 lb (15,000 kg) |
| Max Takeoff: | 48,700 lb (22,100 kg) | Armament: | 20 mm JM61A1 cannon Capable of carrying up to 17,820 lb (8,085 kg) weapon load on 11 hard points. |
| Possible Weapons: | Air-to-air - AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, Mitsubishi AAM-3, Mitsubishi AAM-4 |
| 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 |
| Air-to-ground - ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles. |