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Japan Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ
License-built variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, forming the backbone of Japan's air-superiority fleet. A subset of the fleet is being upgraded to the F-15JSI standard with modern radar and weapons to extend service life alongside Japan's F-35 introduction.
In service since 1981 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
2,660
km/h
1,967
km range
20,000
m ceiling
7,300
kg payload
1.12
T/W
Pricing: License-production unit cost not publicly disclosed; original 1980s program cost estimated in tens of millions USD per airframe
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Japan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 1981. Status: active · ~213 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 2,660 km/h Top 4% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 2.5 Mach Top 5% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 1,967 km Stronger than 15% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 20,000 m Top 7% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 1.12 Top 9% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 9 Stronger than 47% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 7,300 kg Stronger than 50% of fighters
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 19.4 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 13.05 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 12,700 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 20,200 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x Pratt & Whitney (Mitsubishi-licensed) F100-IHI-220E afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 106 kN Stronger than 58% of fighters
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Mitsubishi Electric J/APG-1 / J/APG-2 pulse-Doppler radar (upgraded aircraft)
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- infrared search and track (select variants)
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 213 Stronger than 49% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 23% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ has a maximum speed of 2,660 km/h.
What is the range of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ has a maximum range of 1,967 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ can carry up to 7,300 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ weigh? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ has a combat weight of 20,200 kg.
How many crew does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ require? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ's primary weapon is the 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon.
What engine does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ use? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ is powered by the 2x Pratt & Whitney (Mitsubishi-licensed) F100-IHI-220E afterburning turbofans.
What is the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ used for? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat.
How many countries operate the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ cost? +
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ: License-production unit cost not publicly disclosed; original 1980s program cost estimated in tens of millions USD per airframe. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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