|
|
| a |
Naval
Forces News - Japan |
| |
|
| |
| |
Japan's
Maritime Self-Defense Force receives first two Kawasaki P-1 Maritime
Patrol Aircraft |
| |
Japan's
Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) received the first two of a fleet
of next generation P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft on Tuesday, with the
planes scheduled to be deployed at Atsugi Air Base in Kanagawa Prefecture
later this month, local media reported. |
|
Japan's
Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft
Picutre: Kawasaki Heavy Industries
|
|
The official
delivery ceremony held earlier in the day in Gifu Prefecture, central
Japan, heralds the beginning of the JMSDF's plans to acquire seven of
the high-tech planes to be deployed by March 2014 and a total of 70
P-1s in the long-run, officials said.
The P-1s, designed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. in cooperation
with the Defense Ministry, will replace the current over 80 aging P-3
Orion patrol planes used by the JMSDF.
The new planes will undergo two years of operation flight testing, before
being fully deployed on patrol duties, officials said.
The P-1 development started in 2001 and planed to finish in March 2012.
The process was delayed for one year due to cracks found in its wings
and bodies. |
|
Kawasaki
P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft
Picutre: Kawasaki Heavy Industries
|
|
As the
successor to the P-3C, the P-1 is used for prolonged, extensive patrols
in the sea areas surrounding Japan.
The P-1 is a totally new aircraft that was developed and manufactured
domestically, including the airframe, the engines and the patrol systems.
With its latest technologies, the P-1 flies faster and has a greater
range and useful load than the P-3C, enabling it to patrol the extensive
sea areas surrounding Japan for many hours. |
