Tokyo is investing 41.4 billion yen ($288.2 million) to develop a next-generation electronic warfare aircraft based on the Kawasaki P-1 for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Requested for fiscal year 2025, the initiative aims to advance plans to replace the service’s aging Lockheed EP-3 Orion fleet.
The new system is expected to boost the military’s signals, jamming, and support capabilities, matching the force’s effectiveness against modern electronic warfare threats.
The initial budget for Japan’s upcoming platform was revealed in 2023 at 14.1 billion yen ($98.1 million).
During the first funding request, the Japanese Ministry of Defense highlighted that the new fleet would be utilized for complex electromagnetic scenarios across multi-domain operations.
The P-1 Patrol Aircraft
The Kawasaki P-1 entered into service under the JMSDF in 2013. Unlike the military’s previous aircraft, the maritime patrol plane was purpose-built without other civilian counterparts.
The P-1 is operated by three pilots and up to an eight member mission crew. It measures 38 meters (125 feet) long and has a wingspan of 35 meters (115 meters).
Alongside its main electronic countermeasures, sonar, and radar suite, the platform can be armed with air-to-ground close support and air-to-surface anti-ship missiles, depth charges, mines, sonobuoys, and anti-submarine torpedoes.
The P-1 is equipped with four IHI F7 turbofan engines for a top speed of 996 kilometers (619 miles) per hour and a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles).
The plane has a maximum takeoff weight of 79,700 kilograms (175,708 pounds) and a service ceiling of 13,520 meters (44,357 feet).
Airborne Fleet Expansion in Japan
Japan’s P-1 development follows the US State Department’s $4.1 billion foreign military sale of KC-46A Pegasus tankers to the country in September.
American aerospace company Boeing received a contract one year earlier to equip advanced electronic warfare systems aboard Tokyo’s locally made F-15 Eagle fleet.
In May 2023, the US Special Operations Command announced a potential teaming strategy with the Japanese military to co-develop a C-130 transport aircraft in a maritime configuration.
The East Asian government awarded a separate contract to Boeing in December 2022 to produce two additional KC-46A refuelers.