First Of 13 Japanese Tsunami-Damaged F-2B Fighter Jet Repaired

Japanese first of 13 F-2B fighter aircraft which suffered damage due to 2011 Tsunami completed repairs, IHS Janes reported Tuesday.

The Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) rolled out the overhauled F-2B fighter aircraft in a ceremony to mark to the completion of repairs by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Lockheed Martin held at MHI's Komaki South Plant.

The overhauled aircraft will be used for pilot training at Misawa Air Base, before being transferred to Matsushima Air Base, according to JASDF.

JASDF suffered serious damage to 18 of its 31 F-2B aircraft in the tsunami that inundated Matsushima Air Base on the northwest coast of Japan, about 300 km north of Tokyo. Work to fix 13 of these began in December 2013, with the remaining five deemed to be beyond economic repair, the website reported.

Once repairs are complete, the JASDF will have 28 twin-seat F-2B and 63 single-seat F-2A aircraft in its inventory.

The F-2, which is based on the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, entered JASDF service in 2000. As well as the repairs being carried out on the tsunami-damaged aircraft, the fleet is being upgraded to improve its air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities.