Kawasaki’s P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft Pushes P-8 in Paris

The British have shown interest in the P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries based in Japan in a potential $1 billion deal to replace the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod as Britain’s submarine hunter.

Britain signaled their interest after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to reverse previous self-imposed Japanese defense export restrictions and allowed domestic manufacturers like Kawasaki to find foreign partners.

Kawasaki developed the P-1 as a replacement for the P-3C for the Japanese Self Defense Force. Production on the submarine hunter started in 2008 and the first flight of the production model occurred in 2012.

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