Kai-07 Raiden
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| Kai-07 Raiden | |
|---|---|
| Role | Carrier-based Multirole Fighter |
| National origin | |
| Manufacturer | TBD Tsurushiman Company Mach Aerospace |
| First flight | 1992 |
| Introduction | 2000 |
| Status | In production and in service |
| Primary user | Tsurushiman Air Force Tsurushiman Navy Daoan Air Force |
| Produced |  August 1999 – present September 2011 – present
|
| Number built | TBD |
The Kai-07 Raiden (Tsurushiman: 雷電) is an all weather twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft developed and designed by Tsurushima. The program was originally led by the Tsurushiman government who held XX% of the program's shares while Daobac took an XX% stake of the program in 2006 as part of an agreement to jointly development new variants of the Raiden. Tsurushima required a fighter that was lighter and smaller than the Kai-79 Hayabusa and ZLv-79 but also possess advanced characteristics that would make it as a competitive alternative to the advanced but more expensive 5th generation fighters. This resulted in the need of a 4.5 generation that was more advanced than the standard 4th generation fighter, but not as advanced and costly as a true 5th generation fighter. The Raiden was intended to be capable to fulfill a number of roles ranging from combat, fleet air defense, suppression of enemy air defenses, air interdiction and reconnaisance missions. Its versatility is largely owed to its ability to carry a wide variety of ordnances and equipment, advanced avionics and various other characteristics of its design. Development of the first generation of Raidens began in 1987 and was focused largely on carrier-based fighter to fulfill the needs of the Tsurushiman Navy. To reduce cost and development time the Raiden incorporated some technologies and features from the Kai-79 and ZLv-79 fighters and in later Raiden variants, the Daoan MV-25 Eagle fighter. Rather than developing 100% from scaratch, the inclusion of existing technologies allowed the designers to create a reliable aircraft based on tested and battle proven technologies while at the same time adding on enchancements and improvements to it. There are currently two main variants of the Raiden, the first being designated the Kai-07A as a carrier-based fighter jet and was introduced into service in 2000. The Kai-07A also became the standard airframe and model from which all future Raidens are based on. The second variant, the Kai-07C, is the CTOL and improved version the Kai-07A designed for both the Daoan and Tsurushiman Air Forces introduced in 2015. In Daobac, the Kai-07 is designated as the MV-26 Falcon, the successor of the MV-25 Eagle.