Story

In 2024, Imperial Japan was reborn, and as such, needed new equipment for their empire. They bought a couple of retired Nimitz class carriers from the United States, and attempted to buy a few F-22Cs, but America refused to sell this improved variant. Their F-35s were never delivered due to aggression from China towards American shipping, which only compounded the issue.
To solve these problems, the imperial government set up a design competition for several new aircraft, one of which was to be a light fighter, weighing less than 10,000 pounds unloaded, capable of supercruising, and capable of carrier operations. A total of 4 designs were submitted, with the Mitsubishi Type 5 Falcon coming out on top. Thanks to the plane's exceptional performance, the IJAF ordered 350, and the IJN ordered 200, later expanding the order to 500 following the capture of multiple Chinese carriers during the 2030 invasion of China.

Performance, Armament, and Controls

Performance

The Type 5 has incredible performance, being able to turn with smaller, nimbler aircraft, such as a P-51, and having an incredibly low stall speed, being able to accelerate out of a steep climb at a mere 70 mph. Thanks to its low stall speed, it can engage most airborne targets. The lack of a minigun or machinegun means there is no crosshair, whoo!

Armament

The Type 5 can carry a wide array of weapons, ranging from gunpods, to AAMs, to ASMs, to even a nuclear weapon. The standard built-in armament is a pair of indigenously produced 30mm Type 30 Aircraft Cannons. This specific craft carries four AIM-9X Sidewinders and 2 AIM-7E Sparrows, because this game has no AIM-120.

Controls

VTOL Down to open the cockpit
VTOL Up to compress the pilot for recycling

Gallery