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Transport & tanker

Japan

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki P-1

Four-engine maritime patrol aircraft developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to replace the Lockheed P-3C Orion, purpose-built for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. It carries a large internal weapons bay and a comprehensive sensor suite including MAD and sonobuoy processing systems.

In service since 2013 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

996

km/h

8,000

km range

13,520

m ceiling

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to Japan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2013. Status: active · ~34 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Kawasaki P-1 can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

Type 91 torpedo Type 97 torpedo

AGM-84 Harpoon ASM-1C

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 996 km/h

Top 3% of transport aircraft
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 8,000 km

Stronger than 85% of transport aircraft
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 13,520 m

Top 9% of transport aircraft

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: Internal weapons bay for torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 38 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.: 35.4 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 79,700 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 79,700 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 13

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: 4x IHI XF7-10 turbofans
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.: 4
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turbofan

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: Toshiba HPS-106 multi-mode radar
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.: magnetic anomaly detector, electro-optical/infrared turret, sonobuoy processing system

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 34

Stronger than 25% of transport aircraft
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 25% of transport aircraft

Specifications compiled from public Kawasaki Heavy Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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