Mitsubishi F-3
Advanced Technology Demonstrator � X (ATD-X)
Shinshin (�Spirit�)

Japan said 30 October 2020 it had picked Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to lead the development of the new stealth fighter jet. �We awarded the prime contract to Mitsubishi Heavy,� a ministry of defence spokesman said. The decision was widely expected as MHI is Japan�s only jet fighter manufacturer, and no other company bid for the contract, which is expected to eventually cost about $40 billion.

On 22 April 2016 Japan became the fourth country to test-fly its own stealth jet. The X2 Advanced Technology Demonstrator, called, took off from Nagoya airport in Aichi Prefecture at 8:47 am Friday morning, flew about 15 kilometers and touched down at the Air Self-Defense Force�s Gifu Air Field at 9:13 am. The demonstrator will undergo a further two years of testing before a decision is made on whether to develop a homegrown next-generation stealth fighter. The X2 engines are made by IHI Corp. and its fuselage is developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The demonstrator is also equipped with locally developed stealth technology.

The �Advanced Technology Demonstrator � X� (ATD-X) prototype under development by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is not officially planned for production. The Japanese Ministry of Defence will used the ATD-X as a technology demonstrator and research prototype to determine whether domestic advanced technologies for a 5th generation fighter aircraft are viable.

The prototype of Japan's 5th generation F-3 stealth air superiority fighter, the Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin was developed by the Defense Ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI). It undergwent taxiing and ground trials at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries testing center in Aichi Prefecture, before taking to the skies, flying to the Gifu Air Field in neighboring Gifu Prefecture.

The Mitsubishi F-3 is a planned Japanese indigenous fifth generation fighter. It is planned to evolve from Advanced Technology Demonstrator - X (ATD-X) program. the ATD-X is not a fighter, but rather aa manned sub-scale technology demonstrator, said to be about 1/3rd the size of a possible future fighter.

This aircraft is widely known in Japan as Shinshin [ which in Japanese means the �heart� or the �spirit�]. The ShinShin means the �heart� or the �spirit�, or "spirit of the heart"]. The ATD-X shares numerous similarities with the F-22. The F-3 borrows the intake ramp of the Raptor, and its Y-shaped tail resembles both the Northrop YF-23 and Lockheed YF-22.

The ATD-X IHI XF5-1 turbofans provide lower thrust (with afterburner) per engine (11,023 pounds each) than the F-22 (35,000+ lb each), but its reduced weight could allow it to out-maneuver the Raptor.