Successful First Flight of Fixed-Wing Patrol Aircraft for Japanese Defense Ministry

Tokyo, September 28, 2007 – Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that the #1 test XP-1 (formerly called P-X) fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft had completed a successful first flight.

Capt. Akihiro Sekido, copilot Yoshinao Baba of Kawasaki’s Flight Section, and nine other crew members conducted a successful hour-long flight after taking off at 9:38 a.m. from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Gifu Base. The captain commented, “From the moment we took off, I felt quite confident because operating the plane was identical to simulated operation. It demonstrated extremely high stability at a level I’ve never experienced before and both the flight system and the engine worked fine. It was a perfect flight and went as planned.”

The Ministry of Defense began concurrent development of the XP-1 and C-X transport aircraft in 2001 to replace the current P-3C and C-1 models. In November 2001, Kawasaki earned prime contractor status to develop these airplanes with aircraft manufacturers and other participating companies.

Kawasaki will continue with in-house flight tests for the XP-1 at its Gifu Works. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery to the Ministry by the end of 2008.