Aerospace Monitoring

Japan's drive to produce its own fifth-generation fighter took a step forward on April 22, with the first flight of the Mitsubishi X-2. It took off from the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) aerospace facility at Komaki airport near Nagoya and performed basic maneuvers before landing 26 minutes later at nearby Gifu airbase. The MHI test pilot described the flight as “extrememly stable.” Commenting on the first flight, Japanese defense minister Gen. Nakatani said the X-2 development had “a very…