Japan cannibalizes P-1 maritime patrol planes

Posts on X lamenting the state of Japan’s Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol fleet have drawn more than 100,000 views, as Japanese aviation enthusiasts urged the public to spread the word about the hardships facing Maritime Self-Defense Force units after reports that some newly delivered P-1s are arriving without their patrol equipment and are being stripped for parts to keep the rest of the fleet flying.

“It makes you kind of sad,” wrote X user Mendako_2654 on Oct. 24, in a post shared by Taizo Nakamura, a restorer of World War II aircraft who runs the Hokoku 515 museum, whose own response was viewed more than 105,000 times.

“The distinguished guests may not get the message, but let ordinary people keep spreading this, and even if our support is small, let’s make known the real hardships the units and their personnel are facing,” wrote Taizo Nakamura.

The posts follow a Sept. 19 report by Nippon Television, which said that of the roughly 40 P-1s in the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s inventory, only about 20% to 30% are able to fly missions, according to people familiar with the fleet. NTV reported that because of the parts shortage, new aircraft are sometimes delivered as planes that “can only fly,” without the equipment needed for patrol missions, and are then used as sources of spare parts, and that a reporter saw a P-1 with no engines at one Maritime Self-Defense Force base.

NTV said the fleet’s availability had not improved since a critical government audit because repair capacity has reached its limit, while replacing parts that can no longer be repaired has become difficult as prices have risen in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and general inflation, and as some components have gone out of production. The Defense Ministry is pursuing long-term comprehensive contracts that bundle parts, repairs, maintenance and supply, but crews are still removing parts from other aircraft, the broadcaster reported, and some people involved have argued that the ministry should focus on making the existing P-1s usable instead of buying new ones, or shift money toward drones.

The problems were first laid out in detail by Japan’s Board of Audit, which reported on June 27, 2025, that engine faults, malfunctioning mission electronics and long delays in obtaining replacement parts had left the fleet with very low availability, and that maintenance crews were routinely cannibalizing grounded aircraft, Japanese aviation outlet Aviation Wire reported. The auditors found that the aircraft’s IHI F7-10 turbofan engines suffered corrosion from salt in the air during low-altitude patrols, leaving a number of engines unusable, and that about 30% of replacement parts arrived more than a year after they were ordered as global supply disruptions, semiconductor shortages and suppliers leaving the program stretched lead times.

The P-1, built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, is a four-engine jet designed from the start for anti-submarine and maritime surveillance missions and has been replacing the Lockheed P-3C Orion turboprop since entering service in 2013, with 61 aircraft planned in total. Contracts tied to the program reached ¥1.78 trillion (about $11.3 billion) between fiscal 1991 and fiscal 2023, and the unit price, originally expected to be about ¥10 billion (about $64 million), had climbed to ¥42.4 billion (about $270 million) by fiscal 2024, with the Defense Ministry requesting ¥47.3 billion (about $301 million) per aircraft for fiscal 2026.

The ministry said after the audit that it took the findings seriously and aims to resolve the parts shortage by fiscal 2027, and crews flying the aircraft have still performed well when the jets are available, with a P-1 unit from the 3rd Air Wing winning the U.S. Navy-led Sea Dragon 2026 anti-submarine warfare competition earlier this year.