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Axios
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
A new Crew star is Palestinian — fans can't fly his flag
The Crew's big summer signing is Palestinian, and a leaguewide MLS policy will bar Columbus fans from celebrating his heritage at their stadium. Why it matters: Wessam Abou Ali is the presumed new star of the Crew attack, a striker who represents the marquee signing fans have clamored for since Cucho Hernández's departure in February. Now, those fans are seeking an exception to the rule ahead of Abou Ali's arrival, which comes as MLS tries to avoid controversy related to the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Catch up quick: The Crew recently announced Abou Ali's signing in a reported $8.5 million transfer from Al Ahly, the biggest club in Egypt. Depending on bonuses, he could be the team's second-most expensive signing ever. Born in Denmark to Palestinian parents, he debuted for the Palestinian national team last year. Abou Ali can appear for the Crew when his P-1 visa is processed later this summer, according to the team. Flashback: Shortly after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, MLS issued a " temporary measure" banning in-stadium signs, banners, flags and tifos that reference the ongoing conflict, per The Athletic. Zoom in: That measure also placed "a moratorium on allowing new country flags into stadiums," league spokesperson Lauren Hayes has confirmed to Axios. Asked directly if Crew fans would be permitted to bring Palestinian flags in support of Abou Ali, Hayes declined to answer. Yes, but: Hayes says "there's a process in place" for supporters groups to ask teams to permit new flags in a stadium, which the team can pass on to MLS for approval. Leadership of Columbus' Nordecke fan group told Axios they've requested to the team's fan liaison that they be allowed to bring Palestinian flags to the stadium. A Crew spokesperson didn't answer an Axios inquiry as to whether the team would make that request to the league office, and said the team had "no specifics to share at this time." Context: Israeli striker Tai Baribo is the Philadelphia Union's leading goal scorer. Hayes says Israel flags are allowed at Philadelphia's Subaru Park because he was signed in August of 2023, before the new policy was enacted. Between the lines: Crew fans have frequently brought flags of new players' home countries to games without pushback, spokesperson Collin Hill tells Axios. Last year, Algerian flags were allowed when Canadian-born defender Mo Farsi chose to represent the Algerian national team, Hill says. In March, dozens of fans were allowed to bring Ukraine flags into the Nordecke as a show of support for Ukrainian defender Yevhen Cheberko, who was signed in 2023. What they're saying: Morgan Hughes, a longtime Crew support organizer and founder of the #SavetheCrew movement, tells Axios that Crew fans' activism is in the team's DNA.
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
‘Engine corrosion' grounds large numbers of Japan's home-grown P-1 patrol aircraft
Japan's P-1 patrol aircraft has encountered issues such as engine corrosion and intelligence-gathering equipment failures, the Board of Audit has found. PHOTO: JAPAN MARITIME SELF-DEFENCE FORCE – Japan's P-1 patrol aircraft, a proud symbol of domestic innovation as its first home-grown maritime reconnaissance plane, is 'woefully underused' due to engine corrosion and intelligence-gathering equipment failures, the country's Board of Audit has found. In a searing 38-page report on June 27, auditors highlighted a litany of defects that could have been prevented during the aircraft's development. It also blamed delays in securing replacement parts on a lack of proper judgment. The Defence Ministry said it took the findings seriously. 'Many P-1 aircraft were not in a state where all equipment were functioning properly and could be used for missions without restrictions,' the report said. 'Yet, the P-1 plays an important role in securing Japan's national interests, with flight patrols over territorial waters, and smooth passage of vessels through its sea lanes.' The revelation exposes a potential chink in Japan's maritime surveillance armour as China escalates its activities in the high seas sometimes close to Japan's outlying islands. It also underscores the challenges that Japan faces in its efforts to fire up its national defence industry, which has atrophied due to low profitability during a half-century of weapons export ban that has gradually been eased since 2014. The auditors launched an ad hoc probe into the P-1 since a 'large amount of national funds has been invested in its development'. The audit also came after the 2023 Defence White Paper cited the P-1 as an example of a military unit that has been crippled by a lack of parts. Japan spent 1.78 trillion yen (S$15.7 billion) on the research, development, procurement, maintenance and repair of the P-1 from 1991 to 2023, the audit board said. The P-1 has been globally recognised for its submarine detection prowess, and holds the distinction as the world's first aircraft with a fly-by-optics system. This transmits control signals from the cockpit via optical fibres instead of electrical wiring, making planes lighter. Japan decided to make its own patrol aircraft as a successor to its P-3C Orion aircraft made by America's Lockheed Martin. Kawasaki Heavy Industries is manufacturing the P-1, using F7-10 turbofan engines from IHI Corporation. The P-1 was first deployed in 2013, and the Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) now commands a fleet of 35 P-1 aircraft, and plans to add another 26 aircraft by 2054, for a total cost of 4.09 trillion yen. The P-3C, in use since 1983, is gradually being phased out. The MSDF had 32 P-3C aircraft in operation as at March 2024, down from a peak of 98. The fleet of 35 P-1 aircraft, whose maximum speed of 830kmh makes the aircraft 1.3 times faster than the P-3C, is strategically stationed at three MSDF bases: Kanoya in Kagoshima in south-western Japan, as well as at Atsugi and Shimosa to the south and east of Tokyo respectively. The P-1 is equipped with, among other things, sonar and electromagnetic radars to detect submarines. The audit report described the operational status of the P-1 from 2019 to 2023 as 'subdued', without specifying the number of aircraft that were being grounded and the types of intelligence equipment that glitched, given that this could 'jeopardise national security'. Professor Heng Yee Kuang of The University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Public Policy told The Straits Times: 'The Kawasaki P-1 is one of the 'crown jewels' of Japan's kokusanka policy to build self-reliance in its domestic defence industry by utilising path-breaking technologies.' He added that the report spotlights the dilemma facing Japan's defence planners: how to balance wear and tear on its limited assets and manpower against the need to maintain persistent and continuous surveillance of Chinese and Russian maritime activities. 'This is a reminder that military operations remain critically dependent on logistical nuts-and-bolts issues, which are often unglamorous,' he said. Maritime patrol planes fly for prolonged periods at low altitudes over the high seas to monitor foreign submarines and suspicious ships. But the P-1 was vulnerable to salt content in the air that led to engine corrosion, thus 'rendering a certain percentage of engines permanently unusable', the report found. While the problem was discovered during the development phase, based on test standards used by the US military, these test conditions were changed under the pretext that the 'expected operations are different'. When the same problem was found during operations, IHI brushed it away as an 'accidental occurrence' – an explanation that the ministry accepted. A proposed fix for the engines to be thoroughly scrubbed down with pure water after each flight was not carried out as it was 'too onerous' on servicemen. As for malfunctions of electronic equipment, this could have been prevented with more rigorous stress-testing during development, the report said. The MSDF Air Supply Depot was also too overoptimistic over the procurement of replacement parts, the report added, noting that only 30 per cent of spare parts could be delivered within a year of a request being made. The chronic shortage, blamed on a global semiconductor shortage and supply chain issues, has meant that 'cannibalistic maintenance' was necessary by replacing parts of one P-1 unit with those from other P-1 aircraft . Still, experts noted that many modern military aircraft such as the F-35 stealth fighter jets have been plagued with teething problems, which makes the P-1's woes not extraordinary in the broader context. 'It is important that Japan grows its military self-reliance especially to prepare for a crisis – until now, there has been no motivation to grow its defence production lines because Japan's Self-Defence Forces were the only customer,' said non-resident fellow Satoru Nagao of the Hudson Institute, a US think-tank. 'But given Japan's lack of field experience after World War II, it suffers from many blind spots,' he added. Yet, to make the industry viable through export, it will be important for Japan to win customers among like-minded militaries abroad. Prof Heng said given that Japan has been trying to sell the P-1 to the Italian Navy, the bad press came at an inopportune moment. 'The Defence Ministry will have to demonstrate its ability to iron out these maintenance problems to convince would-be buyers,' he said. Walter Sim is Japan correspondent at The Straits Times. Based in Tokyo, he writes about political, economic and socio-cultural issues. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yomiuri Shimbun
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Board of Audit of Japan Warns Many MSDF P-1 Patrol Planes Inoperable; Parts Shortages, Device Defects Among Causes
Some Maritime Self-Defense Force P-1 patrol planes are not operational, according to a Board of Audit of Japan report released Friday. P-1 patrol planes are for detecting submarines and surveilling suspicious ships in the seas around Japan. The Board of Audit said that frequent engine trouble and shortages of parts for repairs are among the causes of the planes' underutilization. The report stated that 'a limited number of planes are mission ready' and demanded the Defense Ministry improve the situation. Thirty-five P-1 planes had been procured as of fiscal 2023 at a total cost of about ¥1.78 trillion. The government plans to procure another 26 units before fiscal 2054, when P-1 planes are set to cease operations. In compiling the report, the Board of Audit checked the operational conditions of P-1 planes between fiscal 2019 and 2023 and concluded that they had been underutilized because of three factors: deterioration of engine performance; defects in electronic information-gathering devices; and a chronic shortage of replacement parts. The report stated that, in many cases, the engine deterioration and electronic device defects were caused by material erosion due to long flights over the sea. There were many cases in which such planes became unusable. Additionally, the low utilization rate was found to be caused by delays in procuring parts due to rapid changes in the global landscape and a worldwide semiconductor shortage. As a result, some P-1 planes have had to undergo 'cannibalistic maintenance' — in which parts of one P-1 plane are replaced with parts from others. Such units are utilized only in stopgap operations. The Board of Audit did not disclose numerical data of the operations, names of defective devices and other details, as disclosing them could reveal the MSDF's capability to deal with contingencies. Speaking to reporters, a Defense Ministry official said, 'We are taking the pointed-out facts seriously and will continue making efforts to maximize the operational levels [of P-1 patrol planes].'
28-06-2025
- Politics
Japanese P-1 Patrol Aircraft Underused: Board of Audit
News from Japan Society Jun 28, 2025 13:17 (JST) Tokyo, June 28 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's P-1 aircraft, the first domestic patrol aircraft, is underused mainly due to engine corrosion and problems with electronic devices, the government's Board of Audit has said. Reporting the outcome of its probe into the matter Friday, the board called for making the maximum use of knowledge gained from past malfunctions and conducting appropriate tests to improve the performance of the aircraft. The board stopped short of disclosing details of the low operational status, such as the number of aircraft active at present, citing national security concerns. The importance of monitoring submarines and military vessels in waters around Japan is increasing, especially after the recent close encounter incidents between Japanese patrol and Chinese military aircraft On June 7, a fighter jet based on a Chinese aircraft carrier made a dangerously close approach to an MSDF P-3C patrol aircraft monitoring the ship in the Pacific Ocean. A similar incident happened the next day. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
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Nikkei Asia
27-06-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Japan's maritime patrol planes hampered by equipment problems: report
Defense Parts shortage also keeps P-1 reconnaissance fleet from operating at capacity The Kawasaki P-1 patrol plane entered service in 2013. The fleet has grown to 35 units. (Photo by Konosuke Urata) RIKA KIMURA and SHINNOSUKE NAGATOMI TOKYO -- Chronic equipment problems and a parts shortage prevent a fleet of Japanese patrol aircraft from operating at optimum capacity, a report released Friday by an independent national agency shows. The P-1 produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries entered service in 2013, and 35 units were stationed across three bases as of September 2024. The aircraft can operate for long hours to monitor foreign warships and submarines in Japan's surrounding waters.
