Latest news with #P3C
Asahi Shimbun
8 hours ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Key MSDF patrol aircraft not up to task as corrosion ‘eating' engines
Engine malfunctions are plaguing the fleet of patrol aircraft essential to Maritime Self-Defense Force tracking of Chinese submarines and suspect ships in Japanese waters, according to the Board of Audit. The aircraft fly over the ocean at low altitudes for hours on end, making them prone to engine corrosion. The aircraft are a mainstay in Japanese efforts to monitor China's growing maritime assertiveness. The board did not divulge how many aircraft were affected in keeping with Defense Ministry protocols on security issues. The P1, the nation's first domestically made aircraft, was initially viewed as holding huge potential. It was considered to have no peer in submarine detection and tracking technology and there was talk of exporting the aircraft. But that never got off the ground. The Board of Audit study covered the 35 P1 aircraft deployed at MSDF bases across Japan as of September 2024. Primarily manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., the first P1 was deployed in 2013. It was the successor aircraft to the P3C, made by U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. The Board of Audit study said development, purchase and repair costs for the P1 through fiscal 2023 came to 1.776 trillion yen ($12.3 billion). The Defense Ministry's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency plans to eventually deploy a total of 61 P1 aircraft at a cost of 4.090 trillion yen. The agency knew early on about the engine corrosion issue, but IHI Corp., which oversaw development, said the malfunctions were coincidental. So, nothing was done to rectify the problem. Within the MSDF, flying the P1 is considered the 'mission of missions' in that it comes with a huge array of detection equipment, making the plane a joy to operate. Increased sightings of Chinese submarines and other vessels in waters around Japan resulted in many more P1 missions. The burden of operating the aircraft around the clock on a rotational basis was never envisaged in the development stage, according to a highly placed MSDF officer. All sorts of issues emerged early on. The technology used in the U.S.-made P3C was off-limits, so Japanese engineers had to basically develop the aircraft technology from scratch. And this was at a time when the defense budget was not nearly as massive as it is today, meaning not all aspects of development could be adequately dealt with. The 'stovepipe' structure that separated ministry bureaucrats from SDF uniformed officers led to a failure in sharing information during the development stage, according to a high-ranking Defense Ministry official. The Board of Audit also pointed out that issues with the onboard electronic equipment and weapons were another reason some of the aircraft were grounded. Hopes of exporting the P1 aircraft were dashed after one of a pair dispatched to the Paris Air Show in 2017 developed problems and could not take part. (This article was written by Wataru Netsu and Daisuke Yajima.)
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Japan says Chinese fighter jets risked collision after close encounter over Pacific
Japan said Chinese fighter jets risked a collision with one of its surveillance planes during a close encounter over the Pacific. In a statement on Wednesday, the Japanese defence ministry said a P-3C patrol plane monitoring China 's Shandong aircraft carrier over the weekend was followed by a pair of J-15 fighters. The jets, which took off from the carrier, tailed the military surveillance aircraft for 40 minutes and 80 minutes, respectively. 'The government has raised serious concerns with the Chinese side, including to the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, through the vice minister of foreign affairs, and has strongly urged them to prevent such incidents from recurring,' cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news briefing on Thursday. Japan 'will continue to spare no effort to ensure vigilance and surveillance activities in the airspace and waters surrounding Japan in order to resolutely defend Japan's territorial waters, airspace and territorial rights,' he added. Photos shared by Japan's defence ministry showed a J-15 fighter jet flying dangerously close and parallel to the surveillance aircraft. At one point, the J-15 crossed nearly 900 metres in front of the P-3C's flight path. While declining to comment on any Chinese military intention behind the dangerous manoeuvres, a Japanese government spokesperson claimed that such 'unusual close approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially lead to accidental collisions'. Japanese officials delayed the public disclosure of the recent close encounters with Chinese planes in order to interview the P-3C's crew and assess the flight data, The Japan Times reported. The Japanese navy sighted two Chinese aircraft carriers conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time over the weekend, in a move signalling Beijing 's intention to expand its blue water capabilities. Liaoning and Shandong were seen operating in separate areas of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese defence ministry said. The Shandong strike group was seen carrying out what appeared to be takeoff and landing operations of its fighter jets and helicopters about 500km southwest of Iwo Jima and north of Okinotori. The Liaoning group was located 300km southwest of Minamitori Island on Saturday and slightly farther away on Sunday. It was also operating its air wings. The carriers were found in the blue waters beyond Japan 's Second Island Chain. Considered the second line of defence in the event of a military escalation by China, the chain comprises a strategic group of islands in the middle of the West Pacific, including a US military base in Guam, around 2,700km from Taiwan. Confirming the presence of its carriers in the East Asian waters, Beijing on Tuesday said Liaoning and Shandong carriers were carrying out the training 'to test the forces' capabilities in far seas defence and joint operations'. The exercises were a 'routine training' without Beijing targeting any specific country, Chinese navy spokesperson, senior captain Wang Xuemeng, said. Since May, China has been increasing its presence in East Asian waters by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels to the region. At the same time, it has been conducting daily military drills in the Taiwan Strait, which critics have described as staged exercises aimed at escalating military pressure on the self-governed island.
Al Jazeera
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Japan protests to China after ‘dangerous' moves by warplanes over Pacific
Japan has protested to Beijing over what was described as Chinese fighter jets' 'near-miss' manoeuvres near Japanese maritime patrol planes over the Pacific where China's two operational aircraft carriers were spotted deployed simultaneously for the first time last weekend. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday that a Chinese J-15 warplane from the Shandong aircraft carrier flew within 45 metres (147 feet) of a Japanese P-3C maritime surveillance plane and made other 'dangerous manoeuvres' during incidents on Saturday and Sunday. 'We have expressed serious concern to the Chinese side and solemnly requested prevention of recurrence,' Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. According to Japan's defence ministry, P-3C aircraft, belonging to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force based on the island of Okinawa, were conducting surveillance over international waters in the Pacific when they encountered Chinese warplanes. On Saturday, a J-15 from the Shandong chased a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes. Then, on Sunday, a J-15 fighter chased a P-3C for 80 minutes, crossing in front of the Japanese aircraft at a distance of only 900 metres (2,952 feet), the ministry said. 'Such abnormal approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions,' the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, attaching close-up images of the J-15 jet it took on Sunday. There was no damage to the Japanese planes or harm caused to the aircraft crew, the ministry added. Hayashi, the top Japanese government spokesperson, said Tokyo will maintain communications with Beijing at various levels and will also ensure the monitoring of airspace around Japan's territories continues. The last time a similar incident was reported was more than a decade ago in May and June 2014, when Chinese Su-27 fighter jets flew within 30 metres (98 feet) of Japan's military planes. The Kyodo news agency also reported that the Shandong aircraft carrier conducted takeoff and landing drills on Monday to the north of Japan's southernmost Okinotori Island, inside the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Liaoning carrier was also spotted inside the EEZ on Saturday before moving outside the zone where it also conducted takeoffs and landings on Sunday.
Bloomberg
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Japan Complains After Chinese Fighter Jet Buzzes Patrol Plane
Tokyo has complained to Beijing after a Chinese fighter jet tailed a Japanese patrol aircraft over the weekend, flying as close as 45 meters from the aircraft, according to Japan's Defense Ministry. The Chinese J-15 fighter jet tailed a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes last Saturday over international waters of the Pacific Ocean, a Defense Ministry statement said. A Chinese jet also tailed a patrol craft for over 80 minutes the following day, it added.
CNA
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese patrol planes
TOKYO: Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese military patrol planes over the weekend as two Chinese aircraft carriers operated in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, Japan's defence ministry said on Wednesday (Jun 11). On Saturday, a Chinese J-15 jet from the aircraft carrier Shandong chased a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes, the ministry said. On Sunday, a J-15 chased a P-3C for 80 minutes, crossing in front of the Japanese aircraft at a distance of only 900m, it said. At one point on both days, a Chinese J-15 flew as close as 45m to a Japanese aircraft, the ministry said. The P-3C aircraft, belonging to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force based in the island of Okinawa, were conducting surveillance over international waters in the Pacific, the ministry said. "Such abnormal approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions, and we have expressed serious concern and strongly requested prevention of recurrence," the ministry said, attaching close-up images of the J-15 jet it took on Sunday.
