Japan just joined an elite club with its latest fighter jet
(Reuters)
A prototype of the first Japan-made stealth fighter is pictured at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' factory in Toyoyama town, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, January 28, 2016. Picture taken January 28, 2016.
On Friday, Japan took their domestically designed stealth jet to the skies for the first time ever, joining the US, Russia, and China as one of the only countries to producing fifth-generation combat aircraft.
Japan's X-2 stealth fighter prototype is the country's answer to the American made fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II, Russia's T-50, and China's J-20 and J-31.
The X-2, also called the "Shinshin" which translates to "Spirit of the Heart," has been in development for over a decade, costing Japan a cool $294 million ( 2.3 billion yen).
(Reuters)
A prototype of the first Japan-made stealth fighter is pictured at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' factory in Toyoyama town, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, January 28, 2016. Picture taken January 28, 2016.
By unveiling the X-2, Tokyo may be trying to send a clear signal to global powers that it wants its defense industry to be taken seriously, said Jeffrey Hornung, a
fellow at the security and foreign affairs program at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation told FP magazine.
"This may be Japan saying, 'We can do the technology, so consider us for international consortium projects'" such as the one that developed the F-35 stealth fighter, Hornung told FP magazine.
According to Takahiro Yoshida, an official within the Japanese Defense Ministry, the X-2, "has high maneuverability yet with stealth capability," unlike America's most expensive war machine, the F-35 jet, Military.com reports.
Watch the footage of one of the X-2's first-ever takeoffs below:
Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
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