日本隱形戰鬥機心神首飛成功

Japan’s domestically built X-2 stealth fighter took off from Nagoya on Friday in a maiden flight that highlights the accelerating arms race in East Asia.

週五，日本國產隱形戰鬥機X-2從名古屋起飛，完成了“處女航”。這次試飛凸顯出東亞軍備競賽在不斷加速。

The X-2 “Shinshin” — with the characteristically angular look of aircraft designed to evade radar detection — departed early on Friday morning and landed safely at Gifu air base about 25 minutes later.

X-2“心神”於週五早晨起飛，大約25分鐘後安全降落在岐阜空軍基地。X-2有着獨特的棱角分明的外觀，這種設計是爲了躲避雷達探測。

Built by Mitsubishi, which manufactured the “Zero” fighter during the second world war, the flight highlights the growing capability of a Japanese aerospace industry that for decades has relied on the US.

這架飛機由二戰時製造零式戰鬥機(Zero)的三菱(Mitsubishi)建造，凸顯了日本航空工業能力的不斷提高。幾十年來，日本航空工業都依賴於美國。

But with billions of dollars in development costs needed to turn the X-2 into a fighting aircraft, the flight also shows the painful choices ahead for Japan as it tries to keep up with China’s growing military might.

但要將這架X-2改造成一架作戰飛機需要數十億美元研發費用，這也反映出，日本要想跟上中國日益增長的軍事實力，將面臨痛苦的選擇。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has raised Japan’s defence budget every year of his premiership but Japan’s stagnant economy means it is falling ever further behind China.

日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)上任後逐年提高了日本的防衛預算，但日本停滯的經濟意味着它正被中國甩得越來越遠。

Development of the X-2 reflects Japan’s dismay as it watches two powerful neighbours, Russia and China, develop stealth fighters while its US ally refuses to sell an equivalent aircraft.

X-2的研發反映出了日本的失望情緒。它眼看着兩個強大的鄰國——俄羅斯和中國——都在發展隱形戰鬥機，而盟友美國卻拒絕向它出售同級別的飛機。

Sukhoi of Russia has built a stealth fighter called the T-50 while China is developing the Chengdu J-20. Both are expected to enter service in coming years, raising the prospect that Japan’s defences — over the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands, for example — will be outclassed.

俄羅斯的蘇霍伊(Sukhoi)已經造出了T-50隱形戰鬥機，而中國的成都飛機工業集團正在研製殲-20戰鬥機(J-20)。二者都有望在幾年後服役，這可能會讓日本的防衛——比如對有爭議的尖閣諸島（Senkaku Islands，中國稱釣魚島及其附屬島嶼）的防衛——處於極大的劣勢。

The US, however, has refused to sell Japan its own stealth fighter, the F-22 Raptor, leaving Tokyo to rely on the less stealthy and less powerful F-35.

但美國卻拒絕向日本出售其F-22“猛禽”隱形戰鬥機(F-22 Raptor)，東京方面不得不仰仗隱形和戰鬥能力不那麼強的F-35戰鬥機。

That has prompted Japan to start its own stealth fighter programme.

這一局面促使日本啓動了自己的隱形戰鬥機研發計劃。