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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.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Japan says Chinese fighter jet came within 150 feet of surveillance plane above Pacific
A Chinese fighter jet came within about 150 feet of a Japanese naval reconnaissance plane over the weekend, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Thursday, an action the US ambassador to Tokyo called 'dangerous' and 'reckless.' Saturday morning's close encounter between the Japanese P-3C Orion, a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft and a J-15 jet fighter launched from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong occurred over international waters of the Pacific, according to a statement from Japan's Defense Ministry. The encounter lasted about 40 minutes, as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense (JMSDF) force plane was on a surveillance mission, according to the statement. The Chinese jet came within 45 meters of the Japanese plane 'horizontally,' the ministry said. Another close encounter between a Chinese fighter and a Japanese plane occurred Sunday, with the Chinese warplane passing about 900 meters (2,950 feet) directly in front of the flight path of a P-3C, the ministry statement said. 'Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to an accidental collision,' it said. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass was blunter in his criticism. 'The recent dangerous maneuver by a Chinese fighter jet that put Japanese crewmembers' lives in peril,' Glass said in a post on X, sarcastically calling the incident 'another of Beijing's 'good neighbor' efforts.' 'Whether it's harassing Philippine ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen, or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression,' Glass said. In the past several years, China has been accused of all those actions in the South China Sea and other areas of the Indo-Pacific. At a defense forum in Singapore last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said China exhibits a pattern of harassing and trying to intimidate its neighbors. 'We have all seen the videos and pictures of water cannons and ship-to-ship collisions and illegal boardings at sea. We are also seeing the illegal seizing and militarizing of lands in the South China Sea,' he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue. 'These actions reveal a lack of respect for neighbours, and they challenge sovereignty, freedom of navigation and overflight,' he said. The Chinese-Japanese encounters occurred in international waters in the Pacific as Beijing sent two aircraft carrier groups to the region for training exercises. The Chinese carriers and their escorts were practicing far-sea defense and joint operations, a military statement said. 'This is a routine arrangement included in the annual training plan, aiming to improve the Chinese PLA Navy's ability to fulfill missions. The training complies with relevant international law and practice, and is not targeted at specific countries or entity,' Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Navy, said in a written statement.
Euronews
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
All four crew members killed in South Korean navy plane crash
All four crew members aboard a South Korean navy plane have been killed after the aircraft crashed in the southeastern coastal city of Pohang, the navy has said. The P-3C Orion turboprop plane which is used for marine patrols, took off from its base in the city at 1:43 pm and crashed due to unknown reasons, the navy said in a statement. It said it had identified the bodies of the four crew members and was in the process of recovering them. There were no immediate reports of civilian casualties on the ground. The navy has set up a task force to investigate the crash and has temporarily grounded its fleet of P-3s, dubbed "submarine killers" due to their submarine fighting abilities. An emergency office in Pohang said that rescuers and fire trucks were dispatched to the site after receiving reports from residents that an aircraft had crashed on a hill near an apartment complex and caused a fire. Photos showed firefighters and emergency vehicles near the P-3C crash site with flames flickering as smoke engulfed nearby trees. Local emergency services said two helicopters and 40 firefighters had been deployed to the area to fight the fire. The South Korean navy is in the middle of plans to upgrade its aeroplane fleet to Boeing P-8A Poseidon, set to be completed by mid-2025. The Spanish government has announced a 530-million euro plan to protect communities against extreme weather events, following the flash floods that killed 233 people in Valencia in October. On Wednesday, Sara Aagesen, the minister for ecological transition, presented the reforms to associations that represent the victims of the disaster. They included the new mapping of flood zones and the renaturalising of riverbeds. The deadly floods in Valencia happened as a result of a phenomenon known by the Spanish acronym DANA, which occurs when warm and cold air meet to form powerful rain clouds. The process is thought to now happen more regularly because of climate change. "Our commitment and responsibility is not only to rebuild everything that the DANA destroyed in your municipalities, but also to improve resilience in order to have a better prepared territory," said Aagesen during her meeting with the associations. "The minister confirmed that they are working on the enlargement of the ravines, which will allow us to sleep more peacefully," said Cristian Lesaec, president of one of the groups. Rosa Álvarez, who is part of a different association, has called for road upgrades in potentially floodable areas. Aagesen promised that this work would begin in 2026, according to Álvarez. The Spanish minister also detailed a plan to renovate hydraulic infrastructure, which will see the repair of supply, sanitation and purification facilities affected by October's flooding. Another protest is due to take place on Thursday against the Valencian government's management of the disaster. This comes after Carlos Mazón, the president of the local government, expressed his displeasure at the victims associations' decision to meet with officials from Madrid. Mazón had wanted to meet them first. However, the associations said they would only meet him if a veto blocking an inquiry into the Valencian parliament's handling of the catastrophe was lifted.
News18
14-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Pakistan Photoshops Old Image To Show Submarine, Naval Readiness Against India, Called Out
Last Updated: Pakistan showcased a doctored two-year-old image from a joint naval drill with China to falsely depict its naval readiness against India. Amid heightened tensions with India, Pakistan seems to have run a cocktail of misinformation and fake propaganda by using a two-year-old image to falsely show their Navy's preparedness against India. The photos were displayed during a press conference in Islamabad, where senior Pakistani military representatives, including Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force, and Vice Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations attempted to show their country's air, land, and sea assets in the wake of a conflict with India. At the briefing, Pakistan officials showed an image purportedly depicting the active deployment of Pakistan's naval fleet. The image also featured a submarine, two warships, and three aircraft, defining the setup as operational readiness to respond to India. However, social media users were quick to identify that the image had previously appeared in an official Radio Pakistan publication in December 2023. According to reports, the original image was clicked during a joint Pakistan-China naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, and shows a formation of Chinese and Pakistani warships with three Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft flying in formation overhead. The original image also did not include a submarine, which mysteriously appeared in the image presented at the Islamabad press conference, thus proving that the same was doctored. The images used in the DGISPR press brief about the Pakistan Coast Guard seizing a 'navy" are actually from 2023 , and they were clearly photoshopped even back then #NuclearLeak #ceasefire — Manglam Mishra (@ManglamMis67977) May 13, 2025 During the press briefing, the country's Naval chief expressed complete satisfaction and confidence over operational preparedness of the Pakistan Navy Fleet. He also acknowledged and praised the dedication and professionalism of officers and men in successfully achieving operational objectives and milestones for the year 2023. This comes amid the Press Information Bureau's regular fact checks, exposing Pakistan's barrage of false news and claims. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Adampur airbase in Punjab proved Pakistan's claims of destroying the facility were false. Amid retaliatory strikes by India, Pakistan had claimed it had inflicted heavy damage to the facility. However, satellite imagery from third parties, such as China's Mizar Vision, had also confirmed that no structural damage was caused to the airbase. First Published: May 14, 2025, 14:50 IST
NDTV
14-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Pakistan Uses Old, Morphed Image To Claim Its Navy's Operational Readiness
New Delhi: The Pakistani military has come under scrutiny for presenting outdated and digitally manipulated imagery to support claims of heightened naval operational readiness. The image in question, prominently displayed during a recent press briefing, has since been proven to date back to at least 2023. At a recent press conference in Islamabad, senior Pakistani military representatives, including Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force, and Vice Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, attempted to convince the Pakistani people that its air, land and sea assets are at their optimal best for deployment. Vice Admiral Nawaz showed a photo purportedly depicting active deployment of Pakistan's naval fleet, featuring two warships, a submarine, and three aircraft, in what was described as an operational response to escalating tensions with India. Image analysis and archival verification reveal that the photograph had previously appeared in an official Radio Pakistan publication in December 2023. The original image, taken during a joint Pakistan-China naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, shows a formation of Chinese and Pakistani warships with three Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft flying in formation overhead. The same image was used in a 2023 article. The image did not include the submarine seen in the version presented at the press event. This discrepancy strongly suggests that the image was digitally altered before being repurposed. A submarine, likely a Pakistan Navy diesel-electric vessel, was inserted into the image, an addition absent from the original photograph published under the headline "Naval Chief lauds achievements of operational objectives by Pakistan Navy." That article reported on the Fleet Annual Efficiency Competition Parade held in Karachi and featured remarks by Admiral Naveed Ashraf. There has been a deluge of misinformation and disinformation from Pakistan since tensions escalated bwteen the two countries after India's retaliatory move in response to the Pahalgam terroris attack, which killed 26 people. The digital campaign extended beyond social media. Mainstream Pakistani media outlets carried segments reinforcing unsubstantiated claims, often citing unnamed "official sources" and offering little to no visual or documentary evidence.
