At first glance the Kawasaki P-1 aircraft looks like a baby mini DC-8-72 aircraft with its four engines and DC-8 style nose. But it is actually a Japanese designed and built maritime patrol aircraft specially built as a replacement for the elderly Lockheed P-3 Orion. JetFlix TV’s Henry Tenby had the chance to meet up with the aircraft and one its pilots at the ILA Berlin 2018 airshow.

The Kawasaki P-1 was designed to fly at very low altitude with mission endurances of up to 12 hours. It also has a thick wing which gives it terrific platform stability and coupled with its four engine reliability and large windows for low level observation, it seems like the Japanese have created a winner.

We had the chance to have in in-depth interview with Commander Ken Yasuoka about this fascinating aircraft, and also filmed the entire flight display that was laid on for the crowds at the airshow. It was an extremely impressive flight display with the P-1 pulling off an amazing 110 degree bank, which is not something you see to often being done in a four engine jet.

In the interview with Commander Yasuoka we ask him how the P-1 compares to the P-3 it replaces, are there plans to launch the P-1 as a passenger carrying aircraft in the airline market, and how the P-1 compares to the P-8 which is a 737 variant offered by Boeing, which is also a direct competitor to the P-1.

The P-1 can be a viable replacement for P-3s operated in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and many other countries so there is a lot of opportunity for future sales for the P-1. But the challenge for Kawasaki is to get that first P-1 customer outside of Japan. We believe Kawasaki brought the P-1 to the ILA Berlin 2018 to make a special presentation to the German Government. If this was the case, we certainly wish them all the very best of luck with their marketing efforts with this truly amazing aircraft.