Kawasaki T-4

Twin-engine intermediate jet trainer developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, also used by the Blue Impulse aerobatic demonstration team. It has served as JASDF's standard intermediate trainer since the late 1980s, with a successor competition ongoing.

In service since 1988 · 1 operator countries

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

1,038

km/h

1,300

km range

15,240

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 1988. Status: active · ~208 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.: 1,038 km/h

Stronger than 68% of trainers
Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 0.9 Mach

Stronger than 45% of trainers
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 1,300 km

Stronger than 17% of trainers
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 15,240 m

Top 9% of trainers

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 13 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.: 9.94 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 3,790 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 5,650 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 2

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: 2x Ishikawajima-Harima XF3-IHI-30 turbofans
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.: 2
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turbofan

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 208

Stronger than 75% of trainers
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 13% of trainers

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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