Japan weighs up scope of T-6 trainer procurement

Japan seeks to induct the first two Beechcraft T-6 Texan II aircraft by March 2029. (Raytheon Aircraft Company)

Japan's procurement of new Beechcraft T-6 Texan II turboprop aircraft to meet a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) requirement for a next-generation basic trainer platform could cover 36 aircraft, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo has said.

Japan's selection of the T-6 was announced in late November. The MoD said at the time that the T-6 was proposed by the Tokyo-based Kanematsu Corporation and beat three other bidders for the programme. Kanematsu is the Japanese partner of Textron Aviation Defense, the T-6 manufacturer.

An MoD spokesperson told Janes in December that Kanematsu's proposal covered 36 aircraft. “However, this number was an estimate, which the MoD had requested for cost-assessment purposes, and does not guarantee the number of aircraft to be procured in the future,” an MoD spokesperson said.

In a request for proposals (RFP) issued by the MoD in May 2023, the ministry said a new basic trainer was needed to replace the JASDF's Fuji (now Subaru Corporation) T-7 trainers. The RFP said the initial requirement featured a batch of two trainers.

However, the Japan MoD spokesperson did not specify when the aircraft would be acquired, adding that this depends “on the progress of the procedures for the contract and co-ordination with the company”.

The spokesperson added, “On the other hand, the RFP calls for delivery of two aircraft by March 2029, and the proposing company [Kanematsu] has also submitted a proposal that meets this requirement.”