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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/0 ... -aircraft/
In the hunt: Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.'s P-1 next-generation antisubmarine patrol aircraft is unveiled at its plant in Gifu Prefecture on Tuesday.
The new aircraft will be used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
KHI gives MSDF first P-1 antisub patrol aircraft
Mar 27, 2013
GIFU – Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. held a ceremony Tuesday in Gifu Prefecture to deliver the first two P-1 next-generation antisubmarine patrol aircraft to the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The two planes will be deployed to the MSDF Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture and will undergo flight tests for two years before engaging in maritime patrol missions.
Kawasaki Heavy has cooperated with the Defense Ministry’s Technical Research & Development Institute in developing the P-1 turbofan jet to replace the P-3C turboprop aircraft that the firm produced under U.S. license.
However, completion of the new plane was delayed for one year due to fuselage cracks.
The four-engine P-1 is the world’s first practical aircraft to use the fly-by-light system that sends signals through fiber-optic cables to control surfaces while preventing electromagnetic waves from the electronic systems from affecting flight control, the firm said.
The MSDF plans to replace about 80 P-3Cs with some 70 P-1s.