Japan’s Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) has released images and footage of the ATD-X (advanced technology demonstrator-experimental), following the appearance of a privately taken blurred image a few weeks ago.
Made public this weekend, the new images were taken on May 14 and show the aircraft being moved out of the paint shop, resplendent in TRDI’s house colors and bearing the serial 51-0001. In April, Japan’s defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, told journalists that the ATD-X is scheduled to fly this year.
The ATD-X program, led by Mitsubishi, aims to develop a stealthy fighter demonstrator that could lead to a larger operational fighter, possibly to be designated F-3. The design has been under development for some time, with a full-scale mock-up being tested in a radar cross section chamber in France as long ago as 2005, followed by flight trials with a radio-controlled model.
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries has developed a new afterburning turbofan, the XF5-1, to power the ATD-X. Other TRDI research development projects that are most likely associated with the ATD-X/F-3 include networked integrated fire control systems, study of airflow in and around internal weapon bays, and missile/directed energy work.
