Audit reveals low availability rate of Japan P-1 fleet

An audit has found that the JMSDF's Kawasaki P-1 patrol aircraft fleet has been beset with low availability due to engine-related corrosion, a lack of spare parts, and the malfunctioning of critical avionics. (Damon Coulter/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

On-site inspections of the 35 Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) have found that “only a limited number of aircraft” are available for operations, a report by the national Board of Audit has said.

According to the audit, a combination of factors such as engine problems, malfunctions of onboard avionics, and a lack of spares has rendered the “operational status” of the fleet to “poor”. While the report did not specify how many aircraft were inoperable (owing to security reasons), it said that a number of the fleet's IHI F7-10 turbofan engines had become “unusable” due to saltwater corrosion.

In addition, some onboard avionics used for “information gathering” were “continuously” non-operational, the report said.

The investigators have deemed flaws in the aircraft's design (introduced during the development of the platform), with having contributed to the “malfunction of onboard systems” through physical effects as “vibrations and noise”. Another cause is “the adhesion of crustal materials” to electrical components, which have damaged systems, the report said.

A shortage of parts has also limited the availability of the fleet. “The Air Supply Depot, which procures replacement parts for aircraft, has not always been able to grasp the lengthening period between order placement and delivery,” the report said.