The Japanese Vice Minister of Defense, Keitaro Ohno, recently presented the Kawasaki C-2 twin-engine military transport aircraft at the Dubai Air Show, the first major Japanese international program. We spoke to him about the market opportunities for the airlifter, its performance data and Japan’s new political direction.
Mr. Ohno, can Japan now sell and offer its defence products everywhere thanks to the Abe government’s new line?
Not that, we have not yet decided in detail where we can and cannot sell. However, the realignment now allows us to present our products and take part in tenders. If there is subsequently a specific request from a country, the government is free to decide whether it wants to sell military equipment there or whether it would prefer not to on the basis of our security policy.
So despite interest and an offer, can the decision be negative?
Of course. The permit allows the relevant Japanese manufacturers to offer and supply arms if this contributes to peace or stability in accordance with the principle of “proactive pacifism”. Arms exports to conflict zones or to countries and customers that pose a threat to international security will of course remain prohibited.
Is the Kawasaki C-2 the first product to be presented internationally?
Yes, because we think it’s a product that many countries have a need for. And there is already interest, from here in the Gulf to New Zealand. The design certainly offers a lot of potential for a wide range of scenarios, including humanitarian missions.
How long has the airplane been around? And how many of them have already been built?
The C-2 was developed from 2001 as a replacement for its predecessor, the C-1, which the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has been using for 40 years. One criterion for deciding against a foreign successor was that the C-130 Hercules, for example, is up to 50 percent too small for many of our missions, while the double take-off weight of the Boeing C-17 is too high for many airfields, especially in the Pacific region. Since 2001, the program has cost around 260 billion yen (2.3 billion euros). The first flight took place in 2010, the aircraft entered service in 2017 and eleven are currently under construction for the JASDF. And the performance data ...
… are almost unrivalled with a range of 4,500 kilometers with a payload of 36 tons at 0.82 Mach at an altitude of over 13 kilometers.
Interview & photos: Georg Mader
