TFJ-01 GoldStar
The TFJ-01 GoldStar was a twin-engine business jet manufactured by Taiga Heavy Industries. It was developed by Taiga in cooperation with the United States company Fore Jet in 2007.
History
Development of the GoldStar began in March 2003, shortly after Taiga's assimilation of Fore Jet in the wake of the September 11 attacks. A stress testing model, "Number 0", was built in December 2005, followed by tests in January of the following year. The following month, an early "Number 1" unit underwent field tests prior to the official maiden flight in March 2007. By the end of testing, orders had been made for over a hundred aircraft.[1]
The GoldStar used an unusual forward-swept wing configuration aided by canards, and could achieve maximum speeds of Mach 0.92, the same achieved by the fastest commercial aircraft. It was mainly developed on the principle of safety on account of 9/11, and had a fuel consumption rate equal to that of similar jets.[1]
After the end of flight tests, Taiga held a press conference in which it announced that the TFJ-01 would be used as the basis of a new aircraft for the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It was believed that the new plane would be a transport or rescue aircraft until early 2011, when the true nature of the project had been revealed.[1]
Trivia
- In the real world, the only mass production civilian aircraft to use forward-swept wings is the HFB-320 Hansa Jet private jet. The experimental Honda MH02 also used such a configuration, however neither aircraft employs canards like the GoldStar.