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Japanese Stealth Fighter Announced as 'Return of the Zero'

Posted by Zonk on from the go-fast-zoom dept.

reporter writes "According to a news article by the Associated Press, Tokyo has begun developing an indigenous stealth jet fighter that will be deployed in 2016. Mitsubishi, the prime contractor, has already developed a full-scale model, of which several pictures have been accidentally leaked to the press. The model is named 'Mitsubishi ATD-X"'. A laboratory of the French government has evaluated the "stealthy-ness" of ATD-X, and given it a high rating. Will ATD-X achieve air superiority over the F-22, which Washington refuses to sell to Tokyo?"

4 of 526 comments (clear)

  1. Memories of WW2 by idesofmarch · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I, for one, welcome our new Japanese overlords. Well, they'll be able to take back Sakhalin from the Russians, anyway.

  2. Re:the real issue by pigiron · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    with China becoming increasingly hostile Japan probably feels the need to load up with high tech weapons fast so they can beat China down.

    As I said before being rudely modded down: "Any technology that can kill Chinese is a GOOD thing!"

  3. Bullshit! by WED+Fan · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    The interesting thing about stealth technology however, is that it is almost exclusively used for aggression rather than defense if you play your strategy according to tradition.

    Bullshit!

    Stealth is not "exclusively" nor "almost exclusively" for aggression, unless you watch too much "Star Trek". The ability to put fighters in the air as a defensive measure and keep their presence unknown or harder to find means they will live longer to defend. D E F E N D or D Fucking Fend.

    Fighters have always been primarily about defense, bombers have been offense. Yes, fighters defend bomber groups, but most of the time they are designed to go out, meet the invaders, and take them down, i.e., the other guys' bombers or attack aircraft.

    Our ability to hide our defenders until they strike is paramount. It works in poker, boxing, chess, capture the flag, etc.

    So, you were "almost" right. Which, makes you W R O N G.

    --
    Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
  4. History repeats itself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    History repeats itself.. over and over again. The landscape might change, but power and people and the reasons for war don't. The only problem is that we are getting better and more efficient in killing.

    I'd say this news is right on schedule. The generation that remembers WWII has (mostly) passed away and all of the lessens learned are forgotten or being dismissed. For the past few years I've been reading news articles out of Germany about removing many of the safeguards that were put in place after Hitler's reign, along with a drastic increase in 'national pride.' Japan had sworn off a military, yet the reasons why are lost today.

    In the year 2040 our world will experience yet another horror.