Japanese F 16 Lost Cockpit Canopy in Mid Air While lntercepting a Russian Jet

The Mitsubishi F2 is Japans indigenous fighter jet based on the US F16 aircraft. It was jointly developed by the two allies for the Japanese Air Self Defense Force. One of the F2 jets was recently involved in a dramatic midair incident during an aerial lnterception. The F2 is a singleengine multirole fighter jet developed by Japans Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and American company Lockheed Martin. An F2 belonging to the 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 8th Air Wing was involved in a peculiar incident during an aerial lnterception on October 10. The fighter jet took off from the base and was on its way to lntercept a foreign aircraft, which could potentially trespass the Japanese air space. Five minutes after the takeoff, as the aircraft was flying over the mountains near the city of Asakura, the F2s cockpit canopy and its emergency ladder suddenly fell off from the plane, leaving the pilot exposed to air midflight. The canopy was made of aluminum and acrylic glass and had a weight of approxima