Japan Air Self-Defence Force F-2A Crash

A Mitsubishi F-2 fighter of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture during a training flight. The pilot ejected safely and was rescued. The F-2 is a Japanese development of the F-16, jointly designed with Lockheed Martin but substantially larger, with a composite wing and indigenous mission systems, and it equips several JASDF squadrons in the anti-shipping and multirole roles. Only 98 were built, so each loss is a permanent reduction in a fleet Japan cannot replace; the type is due to give way to the GCAP fighter from the mid-2030s.