Mitsubishi T2-CCV ‘29-5103 103’ (48173615626)

c/n 003 Built 1972 as the third prototype T-2. Later converted into the CCV (Control-Configured Vehicle) and used for computer controlled research. It was finally used for test-pilot training until retired in 2002. Kakamigahara Aerospace Science Museum Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan 15th March 2019

The following info on the T2-CCV is from the fascinating j-hangarspace.jp website:-

“First delivered on July 6, 1972, the third prototype T-2 trainer was naturally initially assigned to the type’s test programme from Gifu AB and then, from April 6, 1982, to the JASDF Air Proving Wing (APW). Converted to investigate flight stability achieved by computer control, the data from which would later be utilized in the development of the Mitsubishi F-2, the single-seat T-2 CCV was first flown from Nagoya on August 9, 1983, and again, this time with a fly-by-wire system installed and its distinctive canard wings fitted, on February 16, 1984. At the end of the two-year joint TRDI*-APW programme, during which 137 flights were completed, the aircraft was utilized for additional research and test pilot training at Gifu, where it remained in store for airing on base open days following its withdrawal from use on October 31, 2002. Reportedly a target for the museum from the start, arranging the loan of an aircraft that is certified for preservation by the JASDF took time and patience on the part of the Kakagamihara City authorities, but those efforts were eventually rewarded.