T-2
Contents
Description
The Mitsubishi T-2 is a rank VI Japanese jet fighter
with a battle rating of 10.0 (AB) and 9.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On".
After World War II, Japan was left without any modern jet fighters for defensive purposes and around 1955 the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) put into motion development of a supersonic jet aircraft due to the Fuji T-1 trainer’s lack of proper training in supersonic flight. Japan had purchased front-line Mach 2 fighters such as the F-104 Starfighter and the F-4EJ Phantom, however, their pilots had difficulty in handling these fighters and a new trainer aircraft was needed.
Built as a trainer aircraft, the trainee pilot and instructor sat in tandem with the instructor in the rear-raised seat. With an instructor pilot in the aircraft, Japan was now ready to properly train their pilots in high-speed fighter usage. The T-2 paved the way to Japan’s development and production of their first supersonic military fighter, the Mitsubishi F-1.
The T-2 features dual Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries TF40-IHI-801A engines which are license-built Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofans, the same utilised in the Jaguar fighters. The T-2 for the most part was manufactured with aircraft aluminium alloys, however, it did selectively use titanium for extra strength in certain areas. Shaped more like a dart than the stout Jaguar, the T-2 was built for speed, though to help with maneuverability the wings do not house fuel tanks and feature leading-edge root extensions (LERX) and full-span leading-edge slats on the wings to aid in creating a higher angle of attack or higher lift capacity, especially helpful during slow flight. The T-2 opted to eliminate ailerons and instead utilise twin spoilers for roll control. The tail portion of the aircraft like many modern fighters featured an all-moving tailplane and airbrakes were outfitted to allow for slowing the aircraft down either in manoeuvres or when preparing for landing.
The T-2 is an aggressive fighter aircraft and features a single 20 mm Vulcan cannon which requires a brief spin-up before ammunition begins to fire, thus does not have an instantaneous fire with trigger depress which will take a pilot time to get used to and preplan shots to allow for the gun to spool-up in time to get shots off at a high-speed target. AIM-9E Sidewinder air-to-air missiles round out the air attack arsenal and are highly effective missiles, however, a clever (and lucky) pilot can outmanoeuvre the Sidewinders, though, typically the enemy fighter is then left in a compromising situation and can be easily dispatched with the cannon.
Rockets mounted on the T-2 bridge the gap between air-attack and ground-attack, allowing the fighter to either hammer bombers with the rockets or ground targets such as trucks, anti-aircraft batteries and ships. For dedicated ground attack, the T-2 can be outfitted with two different bombs, namely the 500 and 750 lb bombs of which are the aerodynamic LDGP form type bombs. Though not built to be a fighter-bomber like the F-4C, the Japanese fighter loses some of its hard-earned manoeuvrability while carrying bombs (hence the fuel tanks not being in the wings), however once released, the T-2 can be back in the aerial mix as long as it has the speed to do so.
Though developed as a training aircraft, the T-2 is a formidable foe which is fast, sleek and can carry a one-two punch which can easily knock-out enemy aircraft unfortunate enough to race through the Japanese fighters crosshairs.
General info
Flight Performance
This jet, as of Update 1.87, is one of the fastest jets in the game. The manoeuvrability isn't a strength. The acceleration is comparable to the MiG-19, it is excellent but may not be the best at very low speeds. It has two AIM-9E for dogfights and some rocket and bomb loads. The 20mm Gatling cannon does take a learning curve to get use to because of a short .25 second spool time. This jet comes with radar assisted aiming.
| Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 10,975 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 1,675 | 1,657 | 15200 | 36.6 | 38.1 | 103.6 | 93.5 | 900 |
| Upgraded | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 10,975 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| ??? | ??? | 15200 | ??.? | ??.? | ??.? | ??.? | 900 |
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Limits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Combat flaps (km/h) |
Max Static G | |
| + | - | |||
| 700 | ~10 | ~4 | ||
| Optimal velocities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
| < 540 | < 580 | < 590 | > 300 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 0 m | 1,990 kgf | 3,015 |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.
Armaments
Offensive armament
The T-2 is armed with:
- 1 x 20 mm JM61A1 cannon, chin-mounted (750 rpg)
The JM61A1 20 mm Vulcan cannon is a monster and at the same time a headache for new pilots not used to it. Unlike a majority of the other machine guns and cannons in the game (or in real-life for that matter), trigger depression here does not immediately produce flying bullets. Due to the characteristics of the JM61A1 cannon, it requires an initial spool-up time or spin of the cannon barrels before ammunition can be fired. The high rate of fire can easily melt the barrel, however with the rotating barrels, each barrel can cool off enough before it is its turn again to prevent damage. To initiate this, trigger depression will result in a .25 second delay before the ammunition begins to fire to allow for the barrels to get to proper rotating speed. Once it gets going, 750 rounds of ammunition do not last very long.
When targeting an aircraft, for example, the pilot must remember this formula to be successful, while leading an aircraft or before an aircraft passes through the crosshairs, start squeezing the trigger about .5 to .25 seconds before that event and the cannon rounds should land on target. Waiting until a target passes through the crosshairs (unless tailing them) will result in a miss as they will be out of the sights before the cannon starts firing.
Trigger discipline is necessary when using this cannon as due to its rate of fire (about 6,000 RPM, ~100 RPS or 7.5 seconds of ammunition) will easily blow through the 750 rounds carried by the T-2.
Suspended armament
The T-2 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 7 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (3,500 lb total)
- 5 x 750 lb JM117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
- 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
- 2 x AIM-9B missiles
- 7 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 2 x AIM-9B missiles (3,500 lb total)
- 5 x 750 lb JM117 cone 45 bombs + 2 x AIM-9B missiles (3,750 lb total)
- 2 x AIM-9B missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
- 2 x AIM-9E missiles
- 7 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 2 x AIM-9E missiles (3,500 lb total)
- 5 x 750 lb JM117 cone 45 bombs + 2 x AIM-9E missiles (3,750 lb total)
- 2 x AIM-9E missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Modules
| Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Fuselage repair | Compressor | Offensive 20 mm | M82 | ||
| II | New boosters | Airframe | JLAU-3/A | |||
| III | Wings repair | Engine | New 20 mm cannons | JM117 | AIM-9B | |
| IV | G-suit | Cover | AIM-9E | |||
Radars
The Mitsubishi T-2 is equipped with an AN/APS-21 search radar, as well as an AN/APG-26 target tracking radar. Both radars are located in the nose of the aircraft.
| AN/APS-21 - Target Detection Radar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Detection Range |
Guaranteed Detection Range |
Max Azimuth Scan Angle |
Max Elevation Scan Angle |
| 45,000 m | 28,000 m | ±85° | ±16° |
| AN/APG-26 - Target Tracking Radar | |||
| Maximum Tracking Range |
Minimum Tracking Range |
Azimuth Tracking Angle |
Elevation Tracking Angle |
| 4,000 m | 150 m | ±60° | ±60° |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has a radar and radar gun sight, allowing you to better plan your "boom"s and get your rounds on target more reliably.
- Extremely fast
- Devastating armament
- High climb rate
- 2 pilots (Not vulnerable to pilot snipes)
- High acceleration
- Manoeuvrable enough to get onto the target with relative ease.
- Has a tail hook for landing on carriers
- Has a braking chute, making landings on short airstrips or carriers possible
- Strong ordinance options
- Can equip 2 AIM-9B/AIM-9E missiles
Cons:
- Burns through fuel at an astronomical rate in AB
- JM61A1 electric powered cannon takes getting used to because of 0.25 second spool time to get the barrel spinning before firing commences
- Poor energy retention
- Extremely poor low speed manoeuvrablity, and the low speed of the plane mean lower than 500km/h
- Requires good trigger discipline and aim as the gun burns through ammunition
- Cannon tends to "spark"
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
- other literature.
| Japan jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| IJNAS | |
| Experimental | Kikka |
| Reconnaissance | R2Y2 Kai V1 · R2Y2 Kai V2 · R2Y2 Kai V3 |
| IJAAS | |
| Fighters | Ki-200 |
| JASDF | |
| Fighters | F-86F-30 ▅ · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅ |
| F-104J | |
| F-4EJ Phantom II · F-4EJ ADTW · F-4EJ Kai Phantom II | |
| F-15J · F-15J(M) | |
| F-16AJ | |
| F-1 | |
| Trainers | T-2 Early · T-2 |
| Foreign | |
| Thailand | ▄AV-8S · ▄F-5E FCU |
