The Wind Rises : Jiro, Zero And Contrails 風立ちぬ : 堀越二郎 . 零戦 . ひこうき雲

 



The Mitsubishi Zero A6M2b of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The Zero fighter is also known as the Zerosen ( 零戦 ). Photo : Tamiya


 

The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises ( 風立ちぬ Kaze Tachinu ) is a 2013 Japanese animated film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki ( 宮崎駿 ) and animated by Studio Ghibili ( スタジオジブリ ). It is a fictionalized biopic about Jiro Horikoshi ( 堀越二郎 1903 - 1982 ), the principal designer of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter which dominated the skies of the Pacific Theatre at the beginning of World War II. The film is adapted from Miyazaki's manga of the same name which in turn was loosely based on the 1937 short story The Wind Has Risen by Tatsuo Hori ( 堀辰雄 1904 - 1953 ).

It won widespread critical acclaim, being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. According to the Motion Pictures Producers Association of Japan, The Wind Rises was the top grossing film in Japan for 2013, raking in a total of JPY12.02 billion ( USD120 million ).

Its success in Japan is no doubt aided by the beautiful animation rendered by the artists of Studio Ghibili, the gripping and thought provoking story line and the equally captivating theme song Hikokigumo ( Contrails ), composed and sung by Arai Yumi ( 荒井由実 ). It also helps when the Zero, Imperial Japan's best fighter aircraft of World War II, still lives in the hearts and minds of many Japanese, including the younger generation born after the War, attaining some kind of cult status.

Elsewhere, in North America, Studio Ghibili's films are distributed by Walt Disney through its Touchstone Pictures label. In the United Kingdom, the film was distributed by StudioCanal.

The Japanese movie poster for Hayao Miyazaki's
The Wind Rises. 



The Japanese movie poster for Hayao Miyazaki's
The Wind Rises. 




The Wind Rises is a Studio Ghibili film by the
award winning director Hayao Miyazaki.



Studio Ghibili and Hayao Miyazaki

It is not possible to fully appreciate The Wind Rises without understanding a little bit more about the studio and its famed director. Hayao Miyazaki was born on 5th Jan 1941 in Tokyo, Japan. The Miyazaki family owned an aircraft company, Miyazaki Aviation ( 宮崎航空興学 ), which had a profitable business making rudders for the Zero fighter during WWII. As a young child, he experienced the horrors of the night time firebombing raids by the USAAF on Utsunomiya, an industrial city 100km north of Tokyo. This would turn out to have a profound effect on Miyazaki for the rest of his life, contributing to his anti-war and pacifist outlook. Lacking physical prowess and frequently sick as a child, Miyazaki became an avid reader especially of illustrated books and had aspired to be a manga author from a tender age. His interest in animation started after being captivated by The Legend of the White Snake ( 白蛇伝 Hakujaden ), Japan's first full color animation, in 1958. He taught himself to draw, and was influenced by Impressionist such as Paul Cezanne.

After graduating from the prestigious Gukushuin University with a degree in Political Science and Economics in 1963, he joined Toei Animation ( Sailor Moon, Dragonball, Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999 ) as an artist. It was at Toei that his talents as an animator and a story teller was recognized. He directed his first feature anime film The Castle of Cagliostro in 1979. His next film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, an adaptation of his science-fantasy manga of the same name set in a post-apocalyptic world full of strange plants and giant insects, was released in 1984. In it we could already see many of the recurring themes that Miyazaki would continue to explore in his later films, including his fascination with flight and flying machines, the impact of mankind and their interactions with the environment and his anti-war stance. The film's success paved the way for Miyazaki's co-founding of Studio Ghibili in 1985 with fellow director Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki and his life long collaboration with composer Joe Hisaishi ( 久石譲 ).

Laputa : Castle in the Sky, released in 1986 was Studio Ghibili's first film. It won the Animage Anime Grand Prix that year. What followed in 1988 was Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Takahata, about the desperate struggle for survival of two young siblings amidst the bombing raids on Kobe during the closing months of WWII with a very tragic ending. At the same time, Studio Ghibili released another film My Neighbour Totoro, directed by Miyazaki, about two young sisters in post-war rural Japan interacting with friendly forest spirits that would prove to be its greatest success, so much so that the iconic Totoro character, now a household name, even features on the studio's logo. Many more animated films followed, like Kiki's Delivery Service ( 1989 ), Porco Rosso ( 1992 ) from which we could sense Miyazaki's nostalgia for the scenes and traditional way of life in pre-war Japan and his love for old-styled European architecture.

From 1996, partnership with Disney to distribute Ghibili films outside of Japan enabled the studio to reach out to an international audience. Americans and Europeans were exposed to the Ghibili magic through films like Princess Mononoke ( 1997 ), Spirited Away ( 2001 ) which won the Acedemy Awards for best animated feature in 2003, Howl's Moving Castle ( 2004 ), Tales from Earthsea ( 2006 ), Ponyo ( 2008 ) and Arrietty ( 2010 ).

In 2001, the Ghibili Museum was established in Mitaka ( 三鷹 ), a suburb of Tokyo. Specially designed for children, it contains exhibits of Studio Ghibili's films and animations and features Ghibili's short films exclusive to the museum. The museum is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike and tickets have to be booked way in advance and are frequently sold out.

Throughout his career as a manga artist, author, animator, screen writer, producer and film director that has spanned five decades, Hayao Miyazaki has established himself as one of the greatest name in the history of animation. Now 75 years old, he had repeatedly tried to retire for a total of six times in the past, only to return to the studio each time after a short hiatus. After the release of The Wind Rises in 2013, he announced his retirement from making full length feature films and so far it seems for real. If so it could be the biggest lost for fans of Studio Ghibili because nobody it seems could step into the shoes of Hayao Miyazaki.

Hayao Miyazaki in a 2009 photo. Wikipaedia

Totoro, a cat-like guardian of the forest with a physique strikingly similar to
Snorlax of Pokémon Go, adorns the Studio Ghibili logo. In the animation
My Neighbour Totoro, it slumbers in its den beneath the roots of a giant
camphor tree. I suspect Snorlax has its origins in Totoro. Image : Studio Ghibili.

The Story

The year was 1918. Schoolboy Jiro Horikoshi wanted to be a pilot but was prevented from achieving his dream because of his severe short-sightedness. He read about the famous Italian aircraft designer Giovanni Battista "Gianni" Caproni and dreamt about him. In his dream Caproni told him that he had never flown a plane in his life and that constructing them is far better than flying them.

Five years later, amidst the post-war economic depression of the early Twenties where poverty and diseases ruled, Horikoshi was travelling by train to study aeronautical engineering at the Tokyo Imperial University when he met a young girl Naoko and her maid by chance. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 struck, injuring Naoko's maid. Horikoshi helped to bring Naoko and her maid back to their home in Tokyo but left without leaving a contact.

In 1927, Horikoshi graduated from the university and began working at the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company. He was tasked to design a fighter plane for the Imperial Army but the aircraft broke apart during trials and was rejected by the Army. Dejected from the seemingly pitiful state of the Japanese aviation industry, Horikoshi was sent to Germany in 1929 to understudy the Germans and to obtain a production license for the Junkers G.38. He dreamt about Caproni again, who told him about the beauty of airplanes, even if humans subjected them to evil uses.

In 1932, Horikoshi became the chief designer for a new naval fighter, but his design again failed to impress and was rejected by the Navy. Depressed from his setbacks, Horikoshi took a break and went to the highland retreat of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture. There, again by chance, he was reunited with an older Naoko. They fell in love and became engaged, but Horikoshi learned that Naoko was suffering from tuberculosis, then an incurable infectious disease. Naoko had initially refused to marry Horikoshi until her illness was cured, opting to recuperate at the alpine sanatorium when Horikoshi returned to work on his prototype. However, unable to bear the pain of separation, Naoko eventually left the sanatorium for the city and the couple was married. They enjoyed a brief period of marital bliss until Naoko's illness deteriorated for the worst.

By 1935, Horikoshi eventually perfected his design, the Mitsubishi A5M, predecessor of the A6M Zero. At the test site, Horikoshi felt a gust of wind after the successful conclusion of the trials and he sensed the passing of Naoko.

Fast forward to the summer of 1945. Japan had lost the War and suffered untold destruction and loss of lives in the process. Horikoshi again dreamt of Caproni and told him that he regretted that his aircrafts had been used for war. A group of Zeros flew past and their pilots saluted Horikoshi. Caproni comforted him, saying that at least his desire for building beautiful planes was accomplished. In his dream, Naoko appeared and urged Jiro to live his life to the fullest. " The wind has risen, we must try to live! ". ( 風立ちぬ、いざ生きめやも )

Horikoshi Jiro and the Type 9 prototype that would evolve into the
Mishibishi Type 96 A5M Claude.

This is the official UK trailer with the film score only :

You can watch the official US trailer with the abbreviated Hikokigumo theme song below :

The Theme Song : Hikokigumo ( Contrails )

While most of Studio Ghibili's animated films have theme songs that were composed specifically for them, that of The Wind Rises was selected from an old album of famed singer and song writer Yumi Arai ( 荒井由実 ), also known by her nickname Yuming and married name Yumi Matsutoya ( 松任谷由実 ). That song was Hikokigumo, from the album of the same name released in Nov 1973 ( EMI Records Japan ). The word Hikokigumo ( 飛行機雲 ) literally translates to aircraft cloud, or contrail.

Born in 1954, Yumi had started her career in the song and entertainment industry at an early age of 14 years old. When she was 16 years old one of her acquaintance, an old classmate from elementary school, committed suicide by jumping from height after a long battle with muscular dystrophy, a hereditary degenerative disease that has no cure. She composed the song Hikokigumo out of sadness. Although beautifully written, Hikokigumo was never an initial success compared to her other songs. Almost four decades would have passed before Toshio Suzuki brought the song to the attention of Miyazaki in 2012, believing that it suited the film The Wind Rises very well.

When Miyazaki decided to use Hikokigumo as the theme song of his movie, Yumi was overjoyed not least because the song had finally received the recognition that it deserved. With the release of the feature film in the summer of 2013, Hikokigumo became an instant hit in Japan.






Cover art of Yuming x Studio Ghibili Hikokigumo 40th Anniversary
Commemorative CD+DVD Limited Edition 2013 featuring
 " Contrails " ( Hikoukigumo ひこうき雲 ) by Arai Yumi 荒井由実.

Many people would be moved to tears if only they could understand what the lyrics in Japanese were trying to say.

You can hear Hikokigumo being sung by Japanese singer Aya Matauura ( 松浦亜弥 ) at the Luxury Christmas Night 2013 Concert ( 21/22 Dec 2013 )  below :　




ひこうき雲
Hikoukigumo

作詞：荒井由実
Lyrics : Arai Yumi

作曲：荒井由実
Composed By : Arai Yumi

白い坂道が　空まで続いていた
Shiroi Sakamichi ga Sora made Tsuzuiteita

ゆらゆらかげろうが　あの子を包む
Yurayura kagerouga Anoko wo Tsutsumu

誰も気づかず　ただひとり
Daremo Kizukazu Tada Hitori

あの子は昇ってゆく
Anoko wa Nobotte Yuku

何もおそれない　そして舞い上がる
Nanimo Osorenai Soshite Maiagaru

空に憧れて　空をかけてゆく
Sora ni Akogarete Sora o Kakete Yuku

あの子の命はひこうき雲
Anoko no Inochiwa Hikouki Gumo

高いあの窓で　あの子は死ぬ前も
Takai Ano Madode Anokowa Shinu Maemo

空を見ていたの　今はわからない
Sora o Mi teitano Ima wa Wakaranai

ほかの人には　わからない
Hokanohitoni wa Wakaranai

あまりにも若すぎたと
Amari nimo Wakasugita to

ただ思うだけ　けれどしあわせ
Tada Omou dake Keredo Shiawase

空に憧れて　空をかけてゆく
Sora ni Akogarete Sora o Kakete Yuku

あの子の命はひこうき雲
Anoko no Inochiwa Hikouki Gumo

空に憧れて　空をかけてゆく
Sora ni Akogarete Sora o Kakete Yuku

あの子の命はひこうき雲
Anoko no Inochiwa Hikouki Gumo


Translated :


Contrails

The white sloping road continues on to the sky
The shimmering heat wave envelopes the child
Nobody seems to notice, she is all alone
The child ascends
She does not have any fears, she soars up high
Yearning for the sky, dashing across the sky
Contrails are the child's life
Through the high window, even before her death
She was gazing at the sky, nobody knows if she still does
The other people do not understand
Only thinking that she is too young
But she is happy
Yearning for the sky, dashing across the sky
Contrails are the child's life
Yearning for the sky, dashing across the sky
Contrails are the child's life

Farewell Masterpiece

How could one tell the story of the creator of the Zero without glorifying the War or the machine? Hayao Miyazaki had proven that it was possible, and he did it in his own stunning way. It celebrated the life and achievements of Jiro Horikoshi while reminding us about the fragility of the human life and the terrible consequences of war.

The Wind Rises had been hailed as Miyazaki's farewell masterpiece. Over the years he had established his unique style of storytelling and illustration that nobody could duplicate, not his long time partner Isao Takahata, not even his own son Goro Miyazaki. When combined with the beautiful film score composed by Joe Hisaishi and the heart wrenching theme song Hikokigumo by Arai Yumi, you get a rare timeless gem of an epic that everybody should watch.

My Blu-Ray + DVD from Amazon

 

Fine Molds has a 1/48 Scale model of the Type 9 Fighter.

Fine Molds also has a 1/48 Scale Jiro no Tori gata Hikouki ( Jiro's Bird Airplane )

 

 

Footnote

On Jiro Horikoshi


Dr Horikoshi Jiro was born on 22nd Jun 1903 in the city of Fujioka in Japan's Gunma Prefecture. He studied at the Tokyo Imperial University from 1924 and graduated with honors from the Faculty of Engineering's Aviation Department. After graduation, he joined the Mitsubishi Internal Combustion Engine Company in 1927, the predecessor of today's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Nagoya Aircraft Manufacturing Plant which built the X-2 ATD-X experimental stealth fighter.

By 1932, five years into his employment, he was appointed the chief designer for the flawed Mitsubishi Type 7 Fighter ( aka A3M1 ) for the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ), then an advanced single seat monoplane design in an era still dominated by bi-planes. The project unfortunately never went into fruition and was cancelled after two of the prototypes crashed. He was then sent on a study trip to Europe and America for a year and a half to learn cutting edge aviation technology.

In 1934, Horikoshi was involved in designing another fighter for the IJN. Initially known as the Type 9 Fighter, the first prototype had advanced features such as smooth surfaces to increase aerodynamic efficiency and an innovative inverted gull-wing design. This unusual wing shape was prominently featured in Miyazaki's animation, with gliders and Zero fighters all having this trait.

The Type 9 prototype with inverted gull wings. Image : Fine Molds

Success finally came in 1935, when Horikoshi's prototype number 2 with straight wings was adopted by the IJN as the navy's first all metal monoplane fighter. This carrier-borne fighter was also known as the Type 96 or the Mitsubishi A5M ( Allied code name Claude ).

The Type 96 or Mitsubishi A5M4 Claude at the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2016.
Photo : Response

The A5M barely entered service in 1937 when the IJN started looking for its successor, with special emphasis on great speed, high rate of climb, super endurance and with maneuverability at least on par, all with existing Japanese engine designs. Horikoshi, by then Mitsubishi's chief designer, achieved the near impossible by drastically reducing the weight of the aircraft through the use of new light-weight aluminum alloys and compromising on armour protection and self-sealing tanks. The result was the Type 0, otherwise known as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, allied code name Zeke. The Zero or Zerosen as the Japanese called it was the most advanced carrier-based fighter at the outbreak of the Pacific War in late 1941. It could out-fly, out-climb and out-maneuver any of the Allied fighters of that time and it had the longest range of any single-engine fighter in the world. Its only weakness was ballistic protection, where the lack of self sealing tanks made the Zero likely to explode in a fireball after being hit by enemy fire.

Horikoshi would continue to design other fighters for the IJN throughout the War, including the Mitsubishi J2M Raiden ( 雷電 Allied code name Jack ) and the Mitsubishi A7M Reppu ( 烈風 Allied code name Sam ) which did not see service when the War ended. Despite his close working relationship with the Japanese military and his direct involvement in building some of Japan's war machines, Horikoshi was strongly opposed to what he regarded as a futile war against the United States. He was well aware of the industrial might of the United States and had fervently hoped that his country would have some sort of exit strategy from the Pacific War before its inevitable defeat and destruction. As the war progressed, he experienced first hand the horrific nature of the USAAF's bombing raids on Nagoya where his manufacturing plant was located.




The Mitsubishi J2M3 Raiden ( Allied code name Jack ). 
Raiden ( 雷電 ) means thunder and lightning in Japanese. Photo : Hasegawa

After the War, he was involved in the design of the YS-11, a twin-engine turboprop airliner. He eventually retired from the restructured Mitsubishi and took up lecturing posts first at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Space and Aeronautics ( 1963 -65 ) and later at the National Defense Academy ( 1965 - 69 ) and finally at Nihon University's Faculty of Engineering ( 1972 - 73 ). He died of pneumonia in a hospital in Tokyo on 11th Jan 1982, age 78.

To set the records straight, Horikoshi married his wife Sumako Sasaki ( 佐々木須磨子 ) through an arranged marriage in 1932. They were blessed with six children. Sumako never had tuberculosis and therefore was never associated with any sanatorium stay. The Great Kanto Earthquake did happen in 1923 and caused widespread destruction in Greater Tokyo, but Naoko and the train journey were fictitious. The alpine resort of Karuizawa ( 軽井沢 ) does exist and today is only about an hour away from Tokyo by the Hokuriku Shinkansen（ 北陸新幹線 ). It is right at the foothills of Mount Asama ( 浅間山 ), an active volcano. Apart from the many hotspring ryokans, there is also a Premium Factory Outlet. The area is popular as a ski resort in winter.

Tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis germ is today curable through the use of special antibiotic regimes that usually involves the combination of two or sometimes three different drugs with long treatment durations of between three to nine months. Rifampicine, Ethambuthol and Isoniazid are some of the anti-tuberculous antibiotics available to the modern physician, but the disease is having a world wide resurgence due to the HIV epidemic and the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains. The movie is a powerful reminder that it wasn't too long ago that being diagnosed with tuberculosis was the equivalent of getting a death sentence ......

 

 

 

Horikoshi Jiro when he was student at the
Tokyo Imperial University in 1924. Wikipedia

 

Undated photo of Sasaki Sumako. Image : Nippon Television Network Corporation

 

Zerosen Forever



I wouldn't include the technical specifications of the different variants of the Zero Fighter in this article. You can read for yourselves here. I believe the Zero or Zerosen ( 零戦 ) as it is commonly called in Japan has a special place in the hearts of many modern Japanese, young and old alike. As Miyazaki himself puts it, the Zero is one of the few things that the Japanese people can still be proud of. Unfortunately, although the Zero was produced in greater numbers than any other Japanese combat aircraft during the War not many examples of this legendary aircraft survived. Many were sacrificed as Kamikaze suicide attack aircrafts ( 神風特攻隊 ) in the closing months of WWII. Only a handful escaped destruction and were preserved, some having been dredged up from beneath the sea or salvaged from tropical forests in the Pacific Theatre from their crash sites and carefully restored, sometimes with parts from different aircrafts. The only Zero with its original Sakae radial engine still in flying condition is in private collection in California.

Numerous books had been written about the Zero, but the most notable has to be the two books co-authored and authored by Horikoshi Jiro himself. In 1956 he co-wrote the book Zerosen with Okumiya Masatake, a general in the JASDF and a former naval commander who had led Zero fighters during the War. It was published in the US that same year as Zero: The Story of Japan's Air War in the Pacific. His memoirs on the development of the Zero was published in Japan in 1970 and was translated and published in English in 1981 as Eagles of Mitsubishi : The Story of the Zero Fighter.

Zerosen by Okumiya and Horikoshi.

The memoirs of Horikoshi Jiro.

Lastly, how could I be so sure that the iconic Zero still rules Japan more than 70 years after the end of WWII? Just consider this : Japanese plastic model maker Tamiya alone lists 13 different types of the Zero fighter of various scale on its website. I didn't even bother to check on Hasegawa, Fujimi and Aoshima Models. And then there was also another full length movie Eien no Zero ( 永遠の0 ), also known as The Eternal Zero adapted from the book of the same name and released in 2014 ..... but that could be for another article.

Various Zero scale models available from Tamiya.

 

The Eternal Zero French movie poster. Image IMDb

 

 

The Eternal Zero English movie poster. Image gstatic.com

The Eternal Zero clips and song in English :

Finally, try to beat this : the only air worthy Zero in Japan overflew the
quake damaged Kumamoto City on 31st May 2016,
sporting Kumamon next to the Rising Sun Roundel beneath the wings.
Kumamon, or Bear Monster is the official mascot of Kumamoto.

The Quest For Stealth : Japan's Mitsubishi X-2 Experimental Fighter 日本三菱重工 X-2 ステルス戦闘機

 

 

 

 

First Flight of the Mitsubishi X-2 on 22nd Apr 2016.
Photo credit Akira Uekawa

 

 

 

Japan's Stealth Fighter Program

Japan has a nascent stealth fighter program run by the Ministry of Defense's Acquisition Technology And Logistic Agency ( ATLA ) for the Japan Air Self Defense Force ( JASDF ) and it is known as the Advanced Technology Demonstrator - X  ( ATD-X ) Stealth Fighter Program or 先進技術実証機 senshin gijutsu jisshoki. As the name implies, it is a prototype to test advanced concepts in stealth and other aviation technology that can ultimately be utilized by a future generation fighter design.

Not many countries in the world can boast of having independently embarked on stealth aircraft development. Apart from the United States who is the undisputed leader in stealth technology, only Russia, China and Japan can claim to have truly indigenous stealth fighter programs. Being a Tier 1, Tier2 or Tier 3 partner in the Joint Strike Fighter Program does not count since most of the work is done by the Americans.

The Russian effort has resulted in the Sukhoi PAK-FA ( T-50 ) which is about to enter service this year while the Chinese are said to have the J-20 already in low rate initial production ( LRIP ) and are in an advanced stage with their J-31. This article takes a closer look at how the Japanese are fairing.

Replacing JASDF's Ageing Fighters

The JASDF currently operates a fleet of ageing fighter aircrafts including the Vietnam War era F-4EJ Kai, the F-16 derived F-2 and the F-15J. Back in 2005, they were really keen to have the F-22A as the replacement for some of these old aircrafts, but to safeguard its supremacy in stealth technology, the United States decided not to export their most capable stealth fighter to anyone, not even to their most trusted ally Japan. Instead, the Americans have been pushing everybody to accept the second best option, the problem plagued, expensive and long overdue F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ( JSF ). So, in a way, the Japanese had been forced to develop their own stealth fighter. The ATD-X program was launched.

Meanwhile, with the F-4EJ way beyond its sell-by date, and perhaps alarmed by the emergence of Chinese stealth jets, the Japanese finally decided in 2011 to acquire 42 F-35A JSF as an interim measure to replace the Phantoms. 38 of the 42 F-35A will be assembled by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in their Nagoya plant. Mitsubishi will also be involved in testing the JSF's stealth against radars, and the experience gained in the development and manufacturing of the F-35 should contribute towards the development of Japan's indigenous stealth fighter.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ( MHI 三菱重工 ) is a conglomerate with interests spanning the aerospace, marine, land transport, energy and environment domains. Their products are so diverse that it is almost impossible to list everything. Some of the more prominent ones include the Soryu-class attack submarine, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet ( MRJ ), Atago-class Aegis destroyers, Patriot SAM system and the Type-10 MBT.

All of JASDF's post-war fighter aircrafts had so far been designed or license-produced by MHI, from the F-86 Sabre to the F-104J Starfighter, followed by the F-4EJ Phantom, F-1, F-15J, F-2 and now the F-35.

Of course those who are familiar with military history will tell that Mitsubishi is actually most famous for the long range carrier-borne fighter known as the A6M Zero or the Reisen (零戦). This legendary fighter was designed by aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi ( 堀越二郎 ), and its performance was unmatched by any western combat aircraft at the beginning of World War II, attaining a kill ratio of 12:1. It was extensively used by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the raid on Pearl Harbour in Dec 1941, an event that marked the beginning of the Pacific War.




1:72 scale model of the Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero ( Type 21 ).
 Photo : Hasegawa Model Co.

So, it is quite obvious that MHI has been a key player when it came to Japanese fighter design and production for close to a century, stretching back to the pre-war years.
　

 

Mitsubishi X-2 Stealth Fighter

The X-2 is a single-seat, twin-engine, thrust-vectoring, low-observable technology demonstrator. It has a shape similar to other stealth aircrafts like the F-22 and the PAK-FA with a flat looking body and two outward canting vertical stabilizers. The air intake ducts were shaped to conceal the engine fan blades from radar waves and access panels have serrated edges. In fact it looked like a miniature version of the F-22.

It was initially launched as the ATD-X program following the failure by Japan to acquire an export version of the F-22, the project was under the jurisdiction of the Technical Research and Development Institute ( TRDI ) which was the predecessor of the current ATLA.

Anechoic chamber tests carried out in France in 2005 on a full scale ATD-X model suggested that it had a radar cross section ( RCS ) equivalent to an object the with a size somewhere between that of an insect and a bird. These electromagnetic spectrum reflection and absorption tests were originally intended to be done at a USAF test facility but approval was not granted.

In the spring of 2006, a radio-controlled 1 : 5 scale model of the ATD-X constructed out of carbon fibre reinforced plastic with a length of 3m and width of 2m and a weight of 45kg was first flown at the Multi-Purpose Aerospace Park in the Taikicho District of Hokkaido ( 北海道大樹町 ). A total of 4 such remotely controlled aircrafts were eventually constructed and 40 test flights were conducted until Nov 2007.

Subsequently, the ATD-X program was given the full go ahead in 2007. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was appointed the main contractor. As usual the early developments were cloaked in secrecy. The stealth prototype was commonly referred to as the Shinshin ( spirit of the heart ).

In order to keep developmental cost low, the X-2 reuses some components from previously developed aircraft types. This included the canopy and the ejection seat from the Kawasaki T-4 intermediate jet trainer which itself was taken from the Mitsubishi F-1 strike fighter. The main and rear landing gears were taken from the Mitsubishi T-2, the jet trainer developed from the F-1.

By 2009 39.4 billion yen had already been invested. 90% of the X-2's components are indigenously manufactured in Japan. Mitsubishi manufactures the fuselage and landing gears, Kawasaki the cockpit and canopy, Fuji the main wing and tail stabilizers, IHI the engines, in total about 220 Japanese aerospace companies supplying several hundred thousand different parts and components.

The ATD-X prototype was officially unveiled on 28th Jan 2016 by which time it had been given the designation X-2.

Advance technology that the ATD-X will test and evaluate includes the usual stuff one would expect for a 5th generation stealth fighter and more :

Low observable or stealth technology, like radar absorbing coating and materials. The body of the aircraft is said to be covered with a layer of new composite material of ceramic and silicon carbide capable of absorbing radar waves. The canopy itself would be emission-proofed with its own special coating.

Second generation AESA radar. Japan is the first country to have an AESA radar installed on a production combat fighter the Mitsubishi F-2 and that was almost twenty years ago. Although initially plagued with problems, the technology had matured and the experience gained by Japan would no doubt be a useful contribution towards the design of a new generation AESA radar.

Thrust vectoring and super-maneuverability. Each engine nozzle have a trio of unusual paddle contraptions similar to what was seen on the German-American X-31 experimental aircraft for vectoring engine thrust.

Indigenously developed high-thrust low by-pass turbofan capable of super-cruising - sustained super-sonic flight without the involvement of afterburners. Some of the experience gained in developing the XF5-1 engine for the X-2 had already been applied to the production F-7-10 engine used by the P-1 maritime patrol aircraft.

Fly-By-Light advance fibre optic flight control system, likely an improved version over the first generation control system used in the P-1. This Integrated Flight Propulsion Control ( IFPC ) links flight control with nozzle and thrust control to enable some form of automatic recovery from combat damage.

Next generation Infra-Red Search and Tract ( IRST ) and radio frequency sensors as well as Head Up Display and Helmet Mounted Display technology.

Advance Electronic Support Measures ( ESM ) and Electronic Countermeasures ( ECM ) suites. Likely electronic attack capability.

The specifications for the X-2 are as follows :


Length : 14.2m

Wingspan 9.1m

Height : 4.5m

Weight : 9.7 tons

Engine : IHI XF5-1 Afterburning Turbofan x 2

 

 

Thrust vectoring paddles of the super-maneuverable X-31
experimental aircraft. Wikipaedia

IHI XF5-1 Afterburning Turbofan. Wikipaedia 

 

 

A 1:14 scale transonic (遷音速) wind tunnel model of the X-2,
also known as the Shinshin ( 心神 ), on display at the
 JASDF Hamamatsu Air Park taken during my visit
on 11th Jun 2016.

 

 

 

 

First Flight

Since the X-2's official unveiling on 28th Jan 2016, it had attained several important milestones. Low speed ground taxiing test was carried out on 11th Feb followed later by high speed full afterburner acceleration test on the runway.

After several delays due to technical issues and poor weather, the X-2 finally took to the skies for the very first time on 22nd Apr 2016. At 0847 hours local time, the experimental aircraft took off from Nagoya Airport in Aichi Prefecture, flew for 26 minutes and landed at the JASDF Gifu Air Base about 50km away at 0913 hours. The X-2 was accompanied by at least two chase planes, a F-2 and a F-15. During the brief, uneventful flight, the X-2 attained a maximum altitude of 12000 feet and a maximum speed of 370km/h. It underwent simple tests like ascend, descend and circling operations after entering the designated test flight zone. It also made a few simulated landings in the air before a final safe touch down. The MHI test pilot subsequently described the aircraft's handling as extremely stable and that it performed just as the simulator training had predicted. The Ministry of Defense considered the first flight a successful test in their press release ( in Japanese ).

The second flight of the X-2 took place on 18th May 2016 and was again rather uneventful. It was supposed to accelerate to a higher speed and retract its landing gears.

In the next two years or so, if all goes well, the X-2 will be performing another 50 test flights for more in depth studies of its aerodynamic and stealth characteristics. After that, Japan can decide whether it wants to pursue this stealth fighter venture on its own or if it wishes to partner other countries to develop the next generation fighter for the JASDF.




The X-2 during its maiden flight on 22nd Apr 2016. JASDF Photo

 

The X-2 during its maiden flight on 22nd Apr 2016. JASDF

 

The X-2 accompanied by a F-2 chase plane during its maiden flight. JASDF

 

 

 

Video of maiden flight.

 

 

Another video of first flight. 

 

 

Video of second flight

 

 

 

The Mitsubishi F-3

The Japanese hope that the technology used in the ATD-X / X-2 will eventually lead to the development and fielding of a new generation indigenous stealth fighter by 2030. This next generation fighter will presumably be designated the F-3, as the previous generations of fighters were designated the F-1 and the F-2.

The F-3 will likely be the replacement for both the F-15J and the slightly newer F-2. The F-15J began its service with the JASDF in 1984 and celebrated its 30th anniversary 2 years ago. They would have served 46 years in the JASDF by 2030. The F-2 entered service in 2000 and would have served 30 years by the end of the next decade.

Physically, the F-3 will have to be a lot bigger than the X-2 as it would have to carry loads of fuel to achieve the long endurance that the JASDF required to defend their island chains. The bigger airframe will also provide for a large internal weapons bay ( which the X-2 lacks ) for at least six large missiles and of course, bigger and more powerful engines.

You can watch the computer generated animation of the F-3A and the F-3E Strike Shinshin attacking a Chinese Carrier Battle Group in a sea battle in the year 2035, shooting down J-15s with cannons, AAM-4 and AAM-5 missiles and sinking two aircraft carriers with ASM-3 anti-ship missiles. Yes, go kick some Chinese Ass. Just don't expect the final F-3E, wherever that came from, to be shaped like what was depicted in the movie, with delta wings and without vertical stabilizers like the B-2 Spirit.

Japanese and Chinese carrier battle groups slug it out in this imaginary sea battle in 2035

Failure Is Not An Option?

Just like ship hulls, no airframe would last forever. Ageing aircrafts would have to be retired and replaced when they reach their rated flight hour limit. Japan's frontline combat fighters face an ever increasing operational tempo in recent years with record numbers of airspace violation incidences from Chinese aircrafts in the south and Russian aircrafts in the north. In FY2015 ( 1 Apr 2015 to 31 Mar 2016 ) MOD figures indicated 571 scrambles against Chinese aircrafts alone and 873 scrambles in total. At this rate, the F-15s and the F-2 may well have to be replaced even earlier than projected.





Latest cumulative JASDF scramble data from 1958 ( Showa 33 ) to 2016 ( Heisei 28 )
released on 5th Jul including figures for 1Q2016 ( red bar ), a record breaking 281 sorties.
Vertical axis indicates total number of scrambles while horizontal axis indicates the year.

So there is a sense of urgency for the X-2 stealth fighter program to progress in a timely manner and to culminate in the form of Japan's next generation fighter by the year 2030. Failure is really not an option.

The Japanese MOD had already issued a request for information on the next generation fighter to replace the F-2 from foreign and domestic aerospace companies, to be submitted by 5th Jul 2016. A tender worth an estimated $40 billion for about a hundred aircrafts will be launched sometime this month with MHI, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, SAAB and the Eurofighter Consortium either already invited or expressing interest. It is believed that three options existed, buying or upgrading an existing design ( F-15J? ), buying a new aircraft type from a foreign supplier and finally a domestically developed aircraft, likely with the help of foreign partners. A decision on the tender will be made by 2018 and the aircraft likely to enter service at the end of the next decade.

Currently, perhaps only two things could derail the X-2 program and prevent the development of an indigenous F-3. If the United States would come to its senses and somehow not only restart the production of the F-22 Raptor but agree to export it to Japan at a reasonable price, that could kill the X-2 and the F-3. If the F-35A could overcome its teething problems in short order and morph into the 5th generation fighter that it was supposed to be, coupled with a significant decrease in price with the commencement of volume production, that too could affect the X-2. In truth, neither of these hypothetical scenarios look likely to happen in the near term.

If and when the X-2 program is brought to fruition in the form of an operational 5th generation stealth fighter, it might just be the most significant weapon system developed in post-war Japan. And that's because at least for the free world, it would break the monopoly of the F-35 as the only option for an export stealth fighter.

To many Japanese, the X-2 is a symbol of hope that Japan could once again produce a world class fighter and be a dominant player in the aviation industry, just like it did 80 years ago with the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. That dream will progressively become closer to reality with each successful test flight of the X-2. Go forth and soar with the winds. Gambatte X-2! 　

Who Doesn't Want A$20Billion?

Background

This is an update to my article " Japan's Soryu Class : Collins Replacement Prime Contender ". A quick recap : Australia has a fleet of 6 Collins Class conventional diesel-electric guided missile submarines that needs to be replaced starting from the year 2025. These boats were designed by the Swedish ship builder Kockums AB and built in Australia by a newly formed joint venture the Australian Submarine Corporation. The entire Collins project was riddled with delays and huge cost overruns. Even to this day the submarines still suffer from multiple defects and have serious availability issues.




Digital Image of what Australia's future submarine might look like, as seen on ship builder ASC Pty Ltd's website.



The Royal Australian Navy is looking to replace them with 10 to 12 new submarines by the year 2030 to 2040, at an initially estimated cost of between A$36 to A$44 billion. The ruling Liberal Party came to power promising domestic construction of these future submarines but until recently looks likely to break that promise by buying direct from Japan. That development had prompted German, Swedish and French boat builders to come up with their own unsolicited offers, initiating a submarine bidding war down under, making the Soryu deal less of a certainty.

What's At Stake for Australia

The future of Australia's shipbuilding industry is at stake, as Australia might lose her capability to construct submarines and warships should the contract go to a foreign shipyard there by forcing ship builder ASC to retrench skilled labour or worse, go into receivership. It would be difficult and time consuming to rebuild a new team of professional workers once the existing ones have found work elsewhere.

Jobs could be at stake, as domestic construction at ASC's Adelaide facility could generate and support 3 to 4 thousand jobs.

At least A$20 billion or more is at stake for the winner. This is by far the single most costly defense related procurement by Australia, ever. Even the follow on order of 58 F-35A Joint Strike Fighter announced in April 2014 would "only" cost A$11.5 billion. The Australian Dollar has depreciated significantly in the past 2 or 3 years but is still worth USD0.77 as of today.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's reputation could be at stake if he reneges on pre-election promises to have the submarines built in Australia, though adept politicians always have ways to wriggle themselves out of such situations.

Gimme Twenty Billion

AUD$20 billion is the magic figure quoted by all the potential submarine makers. Of course everybody wants A$20 billion, who doesn't? SAAB Kockums of Sweden, TKMS of Germany and DCNS of France have all come up with proposals and have indicated their willingness to work with Australia's ASC, giving Japan Inc. a run for their money.

 

SAAB Kockums : The Come Back Kid

Kockums AB of Malmo, Sweden was the original designer of the Collins Class submarines and the Stirling air-independent propulsion engine used in the Soryu Class boats. It was acquired by its German rival Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in 1999. Then HDW was itself bought by the German conglomerate Thyssen Krupp in 2005 and they all became a big dysfunctional family known as ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems ( TKMS ).

While all these mergers and acquisitions was happening, Kockums was working on the next generation submarine for the Swedish Navy with several innovative and advanced features, the A-26 Class with air-independent propulsion. However, the development of the A-26 was derailed by TKMS due to long standing conflict of interests. The Swedes believed that they have a great design on hand and wanted it developed not just for the Royal Swedish Navy but for worldwide export as well. The German masters of Kockums on the other hand are worried about cost escalation on a risky new project and cannot come into agreement with the Swedish Defense Ministry on how such additional costs should be managed between the two parties. Although 2 boats have been approved the Swedish by Parliament in 2010 for completion by 2020, long drawn contract negotiations between the Defense Ministry and TKMS came to nothing before failing completely in Apr 2014. Without any contracts to build Sweden's ( or anybody's ) next generation submarines, Kockums looked likely to have to lay off marine architects, engineers and technicians. And as Kockums go under,  the Swedish Kingdom looked set to lose its sovereign capability of building submarines and warships.



Kockums A-26. Source : SAAB

Added to this mess is the uncertainty as to who actually owns the intellectual property rights to the Collins design, is it Kockums / TKMS or is it the Swedish State ( through the Swedish Defense Materiels Administration or FMV ). This has resulted in Kockums being overlooked by Australia in its initial search for suitable supplier for the Collins replacement project.

The loss of the deal to supply the Republic of Singapore Navy with 2 new submarines in late 2013 and the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula earlier last year was a rude wake-up call to the Swedes who realized that they had do something fast to reclaim their ship building industry and to safeguard the defense of their Kingdom.

Negotiations to buy Kockums back began between the Swedish defense conglomerate SAAB and TKMS. Things did not move until Sweden seemingly deployed strong arm tactics, including the FMV's raiding of the Kockums / TKMS office with armed military personnel to forcefully remove highly sensitive materials pertaining to the A-26 and Stirling air-independent propulsion engine designs, taking back what rightfully belonged to the Swedish State. SAAB also embarked on a widely publicised exercise that poached the entire technical management team at Kockums including the manager for the submarine division and more than 200 of Kockums' existing pool of engineers, effectively removing its core workforce. Facing such hostile acts, it is not surprising that TKMS threw in the towel shortly after and agreed to sell Kockums to SAAB.

SAAB has since completed the acquisition of Kockums on 2nd Jul 2014 and the new entity is called SAAB Kockums. This paved the way for the stalled and severely delayed A-26 project to move forward and for SAAB to offer a 4000 tonne version to Australia as the Collins replacement submarine. In the words of the CEO Håkan Bushke " ... the Swedish Kingdom now controls the intellectual property for Australia's currently-serving Collins class submarines. If there is an open competition, SAAB Kockums will be in it."

SAAB Kockums in its last minute declaration of interest on the Collins replacement project has also offered to take Australia's shipbuilder ASC and Royal Australian Navy engineers and technicians to work on the Swedish Navy's 3000 tonne A-26 of which five were to be built, with the first boat due to be operational by the year 2023. CEO Bushke said that SAAB's solution will be affordable and will be able to match the $20 billion price tag of its Japanese and German rivals.

Kockum's resurrection from a moribund subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to becoming part of the Swedish defense giant SAAB within the span of a few months is nothing short of spectacular. It would be even more incredible if they could win this submarine bidding war and become the supplier of Australia's future submarines. Being a completely new design, the A-26 offer carried with it unknown risks of cost escalation and timeline slippages. Add to that volatile mix the uncertainty of ASC's competency as a ship builder and the RAN could end up in a very dangerous situation, third time in a row.

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems : The Old Favourite



TKMS Logo. Source : Wikipedia

TKMS was until Jul 2014 the parent company of Kockums. It used to be the front runner for an evolved-Collins submarine that will see TKMS build on the strengths of the existing Collins Class and rectify known short comings and defects, since the Collins boats were designed with the help of Kockums in the first place.

The main stumbling block for the evolved Collins Class was that the ownership of the intellectual property rights for the Collins submarine as well as the Stirling AIP engine that will be installed in the future submarines, was in dispute as the spat between the Swedish government and TKMS escalated. Australia understandably have no wish to be caught in the crossfires of a patent ownership war and have ultimately looked towards Japan which has a fleet of the world's most advanced non-nuclear submarines, incidentally also using Kockums / TKMS's Stirling air-independent propulsion system.




TKMS Operational Headquarters, Essen, Germany. Wikipedia.

Another deep seated issue was that TKMS has been constantly stifling Kockums all these years after the merger, intending for kockums only to produce small submarines while its German subsidiary HDW will get to build the big submarines for export. It probably was never quite keen for an evolved Collins boat, preferring rather to have a German solution for the Australians. In fact TKMS already had a Collins replacement concept in existence for sometime. It is the HDW Type 216 diesel-electric submarine with air-independent propulsion. Its design is based on the smaller Type 212A and Type 214 submarines current in service with the German and Italian navies, using HDW's proprietary fuel cell AIP system.




HDW's Fuel Cell Air-Independent Propulsion System. Source : TKMS

Now that Kockums had been sold to SAAB, TKMS can no longer be involved in any evolved Collins design. Nonetheless TKMS has still indicated that it can help Australia build her fleet of 10 to 12 next generation submarines domestically and within the budget of A$20 billion, presumably with the HDW Type 216 design.




HDW Type-216 SSK. Source TKMS

The Type 216 looks good on paper, but is again a yet to be built design and with so much uncertainties, nobody, not even TKMS can guarantee that the entire project could be on time and on budget, especially in the hands of an inept shipbuilder like ASC.

DCNS : Non-nuclear SSN?!

The latest to join the fray is the French ship builder DCNS with its SMX-Ocean diesel-electric submarine with air-independent propulsion. First revealed at the Euronaval 2014 exhibition in Paris in October, it is essentially a non-nuclear version of the Barracuda class SSN which DCNS is building for the French Navy. Although DCNS did not officially state that the SMX-Ocean concept was specifically created for the SEA1000 Collins replacement project, we all know what its purpose is. Incidentally DCNS opened a new subsidiary in Australia on 19th Nov 2014, DCNS Australia Pty Ltd, which just shows how badly they wanted a slice of the multi-billion dollar pie.




DCNS's SMX Ocean SSK ( Top ) and Barracuda SSN ( Bottom )

The SMX-Ocean is a huge boat at 4750 tonnes and 100m long. It is powered by conventional diesel-electric power-plants and a second generation air-independent propulsion system. It can carry a load of 34 weapons including torpedoes, mines, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-air missiles. It will incorporate vertical launchers, a UUV Dock, SDV, dry dock shelter and lock-out chamber for up to 8 divers.

Its maximum diving depth is 350m. Its new generation fuel cell will enable a underwater endurance of 21 days. Maximum submerged speed is 20 knots while its usual transit speed will be 14 knots. Endurance at sea is up to 90 days with a maximum range of 18000 nautical miles ( 29000Km ) at 10 knots.

If Australia is going to buy into this mad French scheme, she might as well request the US to convert their Virginia-class SSN into SSKs, just pluck out the General Electric S9G reactor and replace it with the Stirling AIP engine and you can have the frequently craved for 100% compatibility in operations with the USN. No?

Kawasaki / Mitsubishi : Caveat Emptor?

Although the option of a modified Soryu Class built in Japan looks like the safest bet for Australia's Collins replacement project so far, skeptics have plenty of arguments against taking such an option.

First, Japan's war time past has come back to haunt her as pointed out that as recent as 70 years ago Japan and Australia were enemies at war with each other. The Japanese have even bombed Darwin in 1942, ahead of a land invasion which fortunately never materialized. And Australia had lost more than 300 ships to the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. To me that is at best a weak case against the Japanese because, well, times have changed. Australian skiers form the largest foreign groups at the Japanese ski resorts of Niseko in Hokkaido and Hakuba in Nagano every winter. Try convincing these Aussies to ski elsewhere. If one does not buy Japanese, then the Germans should also be excluded in the deal because they were part of the Axis powers with Japan and Italy during WWII!

Skeptics are also concerned if Japan will remain a staunch American ally throughout the projected life of the future submarines, and whether Japan's constitution will again be changed to prohibit arms export in the future.

Australia's opposition Labour Party has pre-emptively said that they would cancel any deal with the Japanese should they come into power after the next election.

In response to the flurry of unsolicited offers from the European boat builders, the Japanese have indicated that they too are willing to co-operate with the Australians to help the Aussies develop the special steel required for submarine construction. Assembly will still be done in Japan.

ASC Pty Ltd : Can't Be Trusted To Build A Canoe!!

ASC screwed up the entire Collins project. They then went on to mismanage the upgrade and maintenance programme of the Collins boats. Now the same story is repeating itself with the Hobart-class air warfare destroyers.

Late last year Australia's ex-Defence Minister David Johnston was censured by the Senate after saying he wouldn’t trust would-be contender for Australia’s new submarines, the government-owned ASC, to build a canoe. He later expressed regret that his remarks could have offended anyone, that he had expressed frustration over ASC's past performance in what PM Abbott had described as a rhetoric flourish. He further said that he was directing his remarks at a legacy of issues and not at the workers in ASC, whom he considered world class, eventually putting all blame on the former Labour government for mismanaging the troubled Air Warfare Destroyer programme.

Having barely survived a no-confident vote and in a move to save his own career as the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott had given in to political pressure and had promised that the procurement of the future submarines would be subjected to a "competitive evaluation process" and ASC would be allowed to bid for it. It will not be an open tender, meaning not everybody is welcome to bid, certainly not Dear Leader Kim, or Bloodymir Pootin, or Xi Jinping for that matter. So the Japanese are now not guaranteed to win the Collins replacement deal and they are extremely confused and worried at the moment about Australia's sudden change of heart.

What A$20 Billion Can Buy

Should Australia be spending A$20 billion on a dozen super-sized conventionally powered submarines with air-independent propulsion? Would she be better off buying a larger fleet of smaller submarines while at the same time constructing more submarine bases? Something like the HDW Type-218SG SSK might cost "only" 500 million Euros each. Buying fifteen of these smaller SSKs instead of the Soryu-class or similar to populate five submarine bases will probably save Australia enough money to construct the new submarine bases along the eastern, northern and western coastlines. Tony Abbott can then also sort of keep his electoral promise of local construction. You couldn't pre-fabricate submarine pens in Japan and then ship it over to Australia for assembly, or could you?

Update 26th April 2016

The Race is over. DCNS won the A$50 billion contract with its Shortfin Barracuda, aka SMX Ocean.