{"id":31937516,"date":"2026-11-09T11:34:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T10:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mitsubishi-f-1-japan-first-post-war-indigenous-fighter-t-2-trainer\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T11:34:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T10:34:29","slug":"mitsubishi-f-1-japan-first-post-war-indigenous-fighter-t-2-trainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/mitsubishi-f-1-japan-first-post-war-indigenous-fighter-t-2-trainer\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitsubishi F-1: Japan&#8217;s First Post-War Fighter, Born From the T-2"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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The post-war restrictions banned Japanese firms from aircraft research and from making aircraft materials and equipment. The country that had built the Zero spent the next two decades flying American fighters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mitsubishi-f-1\/\">Mitsubishi F-1<\/a> was the way back. First flown on 3 June 1975, it was Japan&rsquo;s first domestically developed supersonic combat aircraft and the first Japanese-developed jet combat aircraft since the Second World War. It was also, quite literally, a trainer with the back seat taken out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Mitsubishi F-1 single-seat support fighter<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Derived from:<\/strong> Mitsubishi T-2 supersonic trainer (first flight 20 July 1971)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 3 June 1975 (FS-T2kai prototype)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Engines:<\/strong> Two Ishikawajima-Harima TF40-IHI-801A (licence-built Adour) afterburning turbofans<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Armament:<\/strong> 20 mm JM61A1 cannon; ASM-1\/ASM-2 anti-ship missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinders, bombs and rockets on seven stations<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> 77 (planned 160)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Operator:<\/strong> Japan Air Self-Defense Force only<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Retired:<\/strong> 9 March 2006, 6th Squadron, Tsuiki<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A trainer first<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The story starts with a gap in the training syllabus. In the 1960s the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/japan-air-self-defense-force\/\">Japan Air Self-Defense Force<\/a> trained its pilots on the subsonic Fuji T-1, then sent them on to Mach 2 fighters such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-104-starfighter\/\">F-104J Starfighter<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-4-phantom-ii\/\">F-4EJ Phantom<\/a>. The jump was too big. The JASDF wanted a supersonic trainer, and one that could later be turned into a single-seat attack aircraft.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It looked abroad first. The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/t-38-talon\/\">Northrop T-38 Talon<\/a> was considered, and so was the Anglo-French <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/sepecat-jaguar\/\">SEPECAT Jaguar<\/a>, which could do both jobs; Japan reportedly negotiated over licence production. Instead it chose to design its own. In September 1967 Mitsubishi&rsquo;s proposal, led by designer Dr. Kenji Ikeda, beat rival designs from Fuji and Kawasaki.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/mitsubishi-t-2-blue-impulse-hamamatsu-museum.jpg\" alt=\"Two-seat Mitsubishi T-2 trainer in blue and white Blue Impulse display team colours inside the JASDF Hamamatsu museum\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The two-seat Mitsubishi T-2 that the F-1 was derived from, preserved in Blue Impulse display team markings at the JASDF Air Park in Hamamatsu. Photo: Alan Wilson \/ CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The XT-2 prototype rolled out on 28 April 1971 and flew on 20 July 1971. It became the first aircraft of Japanese design to break the sound barrier in level flight. Production T-2s reached the JASDF in the mid-1970s, and from the early 1980s the type also flew with the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/display-teams\/blue-impulse\/\">Blue Impulse<\/a> display team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">&ldquo;A Japanese Jaguar&rdquo;?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Put a T-2 next to a two-seat Jaguar and the family resemblance is hard to miss: high-mounted swept wings, twin engines, spoilers instead of ailerons, a fixed ventral fin under each exhaust. Both even used the same engine, the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour, built under licence in Japan by Ishikawajima-Harima as the TF40-IHI-801A.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was not a copy. The T-2 is noticeably longer with a shorter wingspan, giving it a more dart-like shape, and since the JASDF had no rough-field requirement it uses conventional single-wheel landing gear rather than the Jaguar&rsquo;s heavy-duty undercarriage. Each engine produced about 32.5 kN in afterburner, and the Japanese engines never received the uprated Adours later fitted to RAF Jaguars, so the type stayed somewhat underpowered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l3LviMRWs_8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Weapon Detective compares the Mitsubishi T-2 and F-1 with the SEPECAT Jaguar they are so often likened to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Taking the back seat out<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>In 1972 the JASDF announced that a strike derivative of the T-2 would replace its ageing <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-86-sabre\/\">F-86 Sabres<\/a>. Cost overruns on the T-2 nearly killed the idea. What saved it was another cancellation: when the Kawasaki P-XL maritime patrol aircraft was dropped, funds were released and Japan&rsquo;s industry needed the work. Development contracts for the FS-T2kai followed in 1973, and two T-2s were converted as prototypes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The conversion was deliberately minimal. The rear cockpit became an avionics bay under an unglazed access hatch. The airframe was strengthened, two extra underwing hardpoints were added for a total of seven stations, and the avionics gained a Ferranti inertial navigation system, a Thomson-CSF head-up display, a J\/ASQ-1 bombing computer and a J\/AWG-12 radar. A 20 mm JM61A1 Vulcan cannon with 750 rounds sat in the fuselage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/mitsubishi-f-1-xasm-1-anti-ship-missile-test-1979.jpg\" alt=\"Orange XASM-1 test anti-ship missile mounted under the wing of a camouflaged JASDF Mitsubishi F-1\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An orange-painted XASM-1, the test version of the ASM-1 anti-ship missile that became the F-1&rsquo;s main weapon, under the wing of an F-1 during service trials that began in August 1979. Photo: Japan Air Self-Defense Force \/ CC BY 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The result was a long, slim dart: 17.86 metres from nose to tail but only 7.88 metres across the wings, with a maximum take-off weight of 13,674 kg. Fully loaded with weapons and fuel tanks, it was considered underpowered, but budget limits ruled out new engines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The first FS-T2kai flew on 3 June 1975. Redesignated F-1, the first production aircraft flew on 16 June 1977 and was delivered on 16 September 1977, according to the aviation reference site MILAVIA.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Built to sink ships<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The F-1 was never meant to dogfight. Its primary weapon was the ASM-1, a Japanese anti-ship missile in roughly the same class as the Harpoon or Exocet, later joined by the improved ASM-2. Its job was to meet an invasion fleet at sea, with AIM-9 Sidewinders on the wingtips for self-defence and a secondary air-defence role.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oaQuaF7LCrs\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Archive footage of JASDF Mitsubishi T-2s flying with the Blue Impulse aerobatic team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Its limits as a fighter were well understood. It was not especially manoeuvrable, and the JASDF counted on better radar, discipline, training and missiles to make up the difference. Budget cuts trimmed the planned order of 160 aircraft to 77.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The F-1 went operational in April 1978 with the 3rd Squadron of the 3rd Air Wing at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/misawa\/\">Misawa Air Base<\/a>. The 8th Squadron at Misawa followed, and the 6th Squadron of the 8th Air Wing at Tsuiki became the third and final F-1 unit on 1 March 1981. The last of the 77 was delivered on 9 March 1987.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/mitsubishi-f-1-6th-squadron-tsuiki-50th-anniversary-2004.jpg\" alt=\"Mitsubishi F-1 in a special blue paint scheme for the JASDF 50th anniversary on the ramp at Tsuiki Air Base\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F-1 of the 6th Squadron in a special scheme marking the JASDF&rsquo;s 50th anniversary, photographed at Tsuiki in November 2004. The squadron retired the last six F-1s there on 9 March 2006. Photo: PhantomII.Rider \/ CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Thirty years at the front line<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Replacement talks began in the mid-1980s, but the successor programme took years. In the 1990s, 70 F-1s went through a service life extension that raised airframe life from 3,500 to 4,000 hours. Its eventual replacement was the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mitsubishi-f-2\/\">Mitsubishi F-2<\/a>, developed from the F-16, with upgraded F-4EJ Kai Phantoms filling the gap.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The 3rd Squadron at Misawa completed its switch to the F-2 by early 2001. The 6th Squadron at Tsuiki kept going until 9 March 2006, when it retired the last six F-1s, their airframes having reached the 4,000-hour limit. The T-2 trainers were withdrawn the same year, replaced by the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/kawasaki-t-4\/\">Kawasaki T-4<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kMY207n05cE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">The F-1 support fighter&rsquo;s last flight at Tsuiki Air Base.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The F-1 never fired a shot in anger, which for an anti-invasion aircraft is not a failure. It proved Japan could again design, build and support its own supersonic combat jet, and the line it started runs straight through the F-2 to the GCAP fighter Japan is now building with Britain and Italy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Mitsubishi F-1; Mitsubishi T-2), MILAVIA, Japan Air Self-Defense Force<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Mitsubishi F-1?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Mitsubishi F-1 was a single-seat, twin-engined supersonic strike fighter built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Derived from the Mitsubishi T-2 trainer, it first flew on 3 June 1975 and was Japan&rsquo;s first domestically developed supersonic combat aircraft. Its main role was attacking ships with ASM-1 missiles.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was the Mitsubishi F-1 Japan&rsquo;s first post-war fighter?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. The Mitsubishi F-1 was the first jet combat aircraft developed by Japan since the Second World War, after post-war restrictions had banned Japanese aircraft research and production. Before it, the JASDF flew American designs such as the F-86 Sabre, F-104J Starfighter and F-4EJ Phantom.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How was the Mitsubishi F-1 different from the T-2?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Mitsubishi F-1 was a minimum-change version of the two-seat T-2 trainer. The rear cockpit became an avionics bay under an unglazed hatch, the airframe was strengthened, two extra underwing hardpoints were added for seven stations in total, and it gained an inertial navigation system, head-up display, bombing computer and J\/AWG-12 radar.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the Mitsubishi T-2 a copy of the SEPECAT Jaguar?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No, although the two look alike and both used the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour engine. The Mitsubishi T-2 was designed independently by a team under Dr. Kenji Ikeda. It is longer, has a shorter wingspan and uses single-wheel landing gear instead of the Jaguar&rsquo;s rough-field undercarriage.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many Mitsubishi F-1s were built?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Mitsubishi built 77 F-1s for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, down from a planned 160 because of budget cuts. The first was delivered in September 1977 and the last on 9 March 1987. The JASDF was the only operator.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When was the Mitsubishi F-1 retired?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The last six Mitsubishi F-1s were retired by the 6th Squadron at Tsuiki Air Base on 9 March 2006, after their airframes reached the 4,000-hour limit set by a 1990s life-extension programme. The F-1 was replaced by the Mitsubishi F-2 and upgraded F-4EJ Kai Phantoms.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in an F-104 Starfighter?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. MiGFlug offers an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/f104-starfighter-flight\/\">F-104 Starfighter flight<\/a> in Florida as part of a three-day training programme that includes a flight. The F-104J was one of the Mach 2 fighters Japanese pilots moved on to, which is why Japan needed the supersonic T-2.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Mitsubishi F-1?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Mitsubishi F-1 was a single-seat, twin-engined supersonic strike fighter built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Derived from the Mitsubishi T-2 trainer, it first flew on 3 June 1975 and was Japan\u2019s first domestically developed supersonic combat aircraft. Its main role was attacking ships with ASM-1 missiles.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was the Mitsubishi F-1 Japan\u2019s first post-war fighter?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. The Mitsubishi F-1 was the first jet combat aircraft developed by Japan since the Second World War, after post-war restrictions had banned Japanese aircraft research and production. Before it, the JASDF flew American designs such as the F-86 Sabre, F-104J Starfighter and F-4EJ Phantom.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How was the Mitsubishi F-1 different from the T-2?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Mitsubishi F-1 was a minimum-change version of the two-seat T-2 trainer. The rear cockpit became an avionics bay under an unglazed hatch, the airframe was strengthened, two extra underwing hardpoints were added for seven stations in total, and it gained an inertial navigation system, head-up display, bombing computer and J\/AWG-12 radar.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is the Mitsubishi T-2 a copy of the SEPECAT Jaguar?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No, although the two look alike and both used the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour engine. The Mitsubishi T-2 was designed independently by a team under Dr. Kenji Ikeda. It is longer, has a shorter wingspan and uses single-wheel landing gear instead of the Jaguar\u2019s rough-field undercarriage.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many Mitsubishi F-1s were built?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Mitsubishi built 77 F-1s for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, down from a planned 160 because of budget cuts. 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The F-104J was one of the Mach 2 fighters Japanese pilots moved on to, which is why Japan needed the supersonic T-2.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/nakajima-kikka-japan-first-jet-1945\/\">Japan's First Jet Flew Days Too Late<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/japan-asm-3-air-to-air-missile-fy2027-budget\/\">Japan's Ship-Killer Grows Fangs<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/veer-guardian-26-jasdf-f-2-india-jodhpur-2026\/\">Veer Guardian 26: Japan Sends Fighters to India for the First Time<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mystery-shrouded-jet-gifu-air-base-japan-gcap-f-3\/\">Japan Wrapped a Jet in White. Why?<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mitsubishi F-1, first flown on 3 June 1975, was Japan&#8217;s first home-grown supersonic combat jet: a T-2 trainer with the back seat removed and anti-ship missiles added.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":31937374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31937516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mitsubishi F-1: Japan&#039;s First Post-War Fighter | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Mitsubishi F-1, first flown on 3 June 1975, was Japan&#039;s first home-grown supersonic 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