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Kawasaki C-1

History of the Kawasaki C-1

Because of Japan's restrictions on what weapons to develop and export in the decades following World War II, the island nation has provided few vital products to support its own "self-defense" army, navy and air force services. As a result, it is in turmoil During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its supporters relied heavily on the U.S. military. One of the more important homegrown projects to emerge in Japan was the Kawasaki "C-1" to meet the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) requirements for a tactical military transport aircraft for high-wing, short-field operations.

The first flight took place on November 12, 1970, and it was officially introduced in December 1974. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force eventually procured 31 and has continued to serve since then.

The need for such aircraft arose in the JASDF in the 1960s, when they lacked true modern transport, as their fleet consisted mainly of outdated WWII-era propeller-powered transports (Curtis C-46 ) composition, has reached the technical limit. The decision to seek jet-powered alternatives eventually led Japanese authorities to support local products instead of buying existing foreign ones. Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC) was selected to lead the project, having previously used the earlier propeller-powered NAMC "YS-11", a commercially oriented project that ultimately did not too much success.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) was then tapped by NAMC for its production technology, and Mitsubishi would build the expected turbofan engine - a local copy of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D - designed to carry two. Fuji contracted the outer wing section, and NAMC supplied the motor housing and control surfaces. Work began in 1966, and at the request of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, engineers returned to a tall wing shape with tail-based cargo channels and T-tails. The model was first delivered as the C-1 in February 1974.

The last airframe came out in 1981, and the last five were equipped with additional internal fuel storage.

The completed aircraft had a crew of five, including two pilots, a loading supervisor, flight engineer and a dedicated navigator. The aircraft has an empty weight of 53,400 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of nearly 85,320 pounds. The cargo bay provides space for up to 60 infantry or 45 paratroopers, 36 staffed limousines or palletized cargo as required.

Propulsion for the C-1 is provided by two Mitsubishi (Pratt & Whitney) JT8D-M-9 turbofan engines, each producing 14,500 pounds of thrust. This allows for a top speed of 500 mph, a maximum range of 805 miles and a service cap of 38,000 feet.

The three completed prototypes were designated C-X (later XC-1), followed by the final C-1/C-1A production models. The EC-1 (also known as the C-1Kai) is a C-1 equipped for electronic warfare (EW) training missions, and the C-1FTB (the XC-1 prototype) is provided as a test bed.

The National Aeronautics and Astronautics Laboratory (NAL) demonstrated a modified C-1 as "Asuka" and used it for short take-off and landing (STOL) research.

Apart from these markers, the C-1 lineage has not been extended. There are some proposed forms that fail - airborne tankers, electronic warfare production quality forms, etc. The C-1 was also not sold abroad.

The current (2014) C-1 line is scheduled to be succeeded by another Kawasaki product in development, the like-minded C-2. About 30 prototypes of this type will be procured to replace the aging C-1 aircraft and Lockheed C-130 Hercules inventory currently in service with the Japanese military. Japan eventually received the U.S.

C-130 to compensate for the short range inherent in its C-1 designa postwar Japanese military development restriction imposed on Kawasaki engineers.