Type-94 Shiranui

History

The development of the @Type-94 Shiranui first began in 1983, when the @Empire of Japan's Ministry of National Defense began looking at several models of TSFs to determine their next-generation main model. This project, termed the second TSF-X Project, sought to deploy the selected TSF type within 5 years, by 1988, and aimed at the acquisition of licenses for the newest US TSFs of that time, namely the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

However, the ongoing conflict in Europe against the BETA during that time forced the USA, as the leader of NATO, to place emphasis on the European region; as a result, those in the Empire of Japan and the Ministry of National Defence that still held resentment for the delay in the delivering of the Type-77 Gekishin, used the second TSF-X as a platform to assert that relying on the US to provide weapons was an unfeasible policy, resulting in the rise of advocates for domestic development of armaments within the Imperial Diet.

To placate the domestic development supporters and avoid slighting the USA, the Imperial government launched the Youkou Plan. Its public front was to facilitate research and development of TSF modification technlogies, but its actual purpose was to facilitate domestic technology development. Unlike the usual format of individual companies competing for the right to sell their products, the Youkou Plan was instead established as a joint-development effort between Mitsuhishi Heavy Industries, Fugaku Heavy Industries, and Kawazaki, due to their prior experience with developing and manufacturing the Type-77 Gekishin.

Problems with domestic development immediately became apparent; the lofty requirements for the TSF-X's new airframe, high performance to maximize the results of a limited pool of pilots and resources, and capacity for upgrades, were far beyond what Japanese technology could deliver at the time. Other requirements, such as laser resistance required to last for 10 seconds under continuous exposure, airframe weight reduction by using new materials for armoring, combat data sharing, improved, hardware, software, and aerial characteristics, only compounded the issue, especially as Japanese manufacturers of that time were inexperienced even in the production and manufacture of 2nd-generation TSFs. Even with the Empire's experience with armor materials due to their participation in the Prometheus Project, simply lightening the airframe without developing a proper OS would have resulted in a highly-unstable, defective product.

From 1983 to 1985, the three companies continued to accumulate development technologies and knowledge for the Youkou Plan; however, frustrated at having only completed basic airframe design after 2 years, those heading research and development proposed to the Ministry of National Defence to acquire a number of F-15C Eagles under the guise of trial introduction to select a new TSF mainline TSF. A total of 4 fully-built F-15Cs were acquired, with 8 more built under trial production, and the knowledge and experience gained from this endeavor would greatly boost Japanese research and development efforts for their own domestic development.

The various measures taken to raise the domestic technology level in TSF development finally bore fruit in 1989, when the first TSF-X prototype was completed. Despite the inability to equip an @S-11 SD-System, several other missing combat functions, and insufficient frame and Jump Unit output to match the levels specified in the TSF-X project plan, the fact that a 2nd generation TSF was reproduced using domestic research and technology was hailed as a feat in and of itself. The second prototype to be produced would lay further groundwork, such as the implementation of Operation By Light and improved communication capabilities. By 1994, at least 6 TSF-X prototypes had been produced for various testing purposes; after the end of the TSF-Xs' testing phases, one of them would eventually be used to develop the @Type-97 Fubuki.

In February 1994, the cumulative efforts of the Empire's research and development was unveiled as the @Type-94 Shiranui, the world's first production 3rd-generation TSF, and the first production unit was deployed with the Imperial Japanese Army's evaluation unit for further testing. In time, the TSF would be deployed across the entire Japanese military.

The Type-94 Shiranui, as the first domestically-produced TSF of the Empire of Japan, was built with the rigors of Hive combat in mind. As resupplying while inside a Hive is not always possible, the Shiranui's controls are highly sensitive to maximize every action with minimal effort; its forearm-mounted Blade Sheaths and head sensor masts are integrated into the process of controlling the TSF while it is airborne, allowing the unit to make minute course corrections when in the air and prior to landing. Because of that, pilots unfamiliar with the quirks of the Type-94 may find it hard to maintain unit stability in tight quarters; in the hands of the right pilot however, the Shiranui boasts excellent maneuverability that allows its pilots to match more advanced units in combat.

The introduction of improved Anti-Laser Coating and composite materials for its frame allowed the Type-94 to perform far better than other units of its time, with an engine installed into its Type-91 Jump Units that allow the Shiranui to exceed 700km/h during flight. On its feet are fold-able spikes that allow it to gain better traction when walking or bracing against a surface.

As with previous TSFs like the Gekishin or Zuikaku, the Type-94 Shiranui also boasts exemplary main arm and hand manipulator strength to enable it to use close-combat weapons, as the specifications the Shiranui was designed to fulfill were made with the intent of exclusive-use by Japanese forces in mind.

However, in fulfilling TSF-X requirements for high performance, consideration for the Shiranui's capacity for upgrades was axed during the design phase, resulting in future problems with upgrading the Shiranui's hardware; the upgrades to come would be made to its software. Despite this flaw, the Shiranui was well-regarded on the frontlines for its efficiency and high serviceability, and would go on to participate as a key unit in many upgrading projects, such as the joint USA-Japan XFJ Project.

Outside of Japan, the TSF is known by "Type-94", or as the "F-94".

Deployment

The Type-94 Shiranui has been in use with the Imperial Army since 1994. As the primary TSF of the Japanese forces, the Shiranui has seen widespread deployment both with domestic forces, and units assigned to service with the @United Nations as part of the Far East Defense Line.

Furthermore, when Japan won the right to host Alternative IV in 1995, then-Prime Minister of Japan, Kurechika Sakaki, arranged for equipment and facilities to be provided to the UN troops that would be stationed in Japanese territory, as part of the requirements for a host nation. However, those in the Ministry of National Defence and the cabinet ministers linked to them, already leery of the pro-UN stance of the government, feared that if the Type-94 were to be included as part of the provided equipment, the data and knowledge that was used to produce the Shiranui would be leaked through the chaos of the UN Forces. They therefore furiously opposed this move, even though they also acknowledged that trouble with Alternative IV would only create more issues for the Empire. A compromise was eventually made; the Shiranui would only be deployed with UN special forces, and their assigned pilots would have to be Japanese, thus paving the way for the Shiranui to be deployed with the UN's Special Task Force A-01; a total of 108 units would eventually be provided.

The Shiranui also saw heavy combat action during Operation Lucifer in 1999, by both Imperial Japanese Army forces and Special Task Force A-01.

Variants

Type-94-1C Shiranui Type-1C

The Shiranui's upgrade limitations were also demonstrated by the Type-94-1C Shiranui Type-1C, when several were produced in 1998 as an attempt at upgrading Japan's fleet of Shiranui. With a strengthened frame and joint actuators in anticipation of additional capabilities for deploying heavy weapons, its drive system performance was increased by 15%. Its frame also featured an experimental camouflage scheme known as "Ferris" camouflage; the patterns and color selection were theorized to play havoc with the BETA's sensory organs during high-speed maneuvers during combat. However, the addition of the Ferris camouflage has not shown any positive results thus far.

The Shiranui Type-1C is equipped with an enlarged power generator and uses the Type-00F/-00A's FE108-FHI-225 engines in its Jump Units instead of the Shiranui's original FE108-FHI-220 engines, giving it greater thruster power. However, the enlarged generator and the increase in power demand from the engines resulted in worse fuel efficiency, limiting its operational time. A proprietary OS was developed to attempt to compensate for its limited operating time, but this had the side effect of making the TSF difficult to pilot due to development cutting corners, as well as the incomplete integration of the Shiranui Type-1C's mishmash upgrade of different TSF parts.

This sudden change in development direction from a heavy-firepower unit to include capabilities of a high-mobility unit resulted in the eventual axing of the upgrade plan due to poor-balanced performance. Despite its flaws, however, the lessons learned from Japan's domestic development with the Shiranui and Kagerou were well-applied in the Shiranui Type-1C, with mobility, fire control, and combat abilities well ahead of required operation parameters; it merely lacked combat redundancy due to the high specifications of its required parts, making the unit costly to be deployed en masse and further pushing the unit into the dead-end zone of being unfit for upgrade and refitting capability due to the parts' required precision.