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.

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 4% 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 83% of transport aircraft
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 13,520 m

Top 10% 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 27% 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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