Kawasaki C-1

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Kawasaki C-1

JASDF C-1 displayed at Komaki AB
Type	Military Transport
Manufacturer	Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Maiden flight	1970-11-12
Introduced	1974-12
Primary user	Japan (27)
Number built	31
Unit cost	$40 million / ¥4.5 billion (approx.)

The Kawasaki C-1 is a twin-engined short-range STOL military transport, used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Development on it began in 1966 as the JASDF sought to replace its aging, World War II-era C-46 Commandos, production in 1971, and it remains in use today.

1 Development
2 Operational History
3 Variants
4 Operators
5 Specifications of Kawasaki C-1

[edit] Development

In 1966, the JASDF transport fleet was composed primarily of Curtiss C-46 Commandos, a retired midwar American design built in large numbers before the end of World War II. While relatively capable for its time, the C-46 did not fare well in comparison to newer aircraft such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and the JASDF therefore elected to replace it with a domestically-designed and -manufactured transport aircraft.

For this purpose, they turned to the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Company, a consortium of several major corporations, which had begun to produce commercially its YS-11 airliner four years earlier. NAMC decided that Kawasaki Heavy Industries was to be the prime contractor, and the airplane thus bears that company's name.

[edit] Operational History

The Kawasaki C-1 has been in use since 1974.

[edit] Variants

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Kawasaki C-1

XC-1 - Prototypes.
C-1 - Medium-range military transport version.

The last five C-1s ordered were fitted with an additional 1250 gallon (4730 liter) fuel tank.

EC-1 - EW training aircraft.
C-1FTB - Flight test bed used for testing various equipment.
Asuka - Experimental STOL transport aircraft, powered by four turbofan engines and making use of the Coandă effect.

The only example built is currently on display in Kakamigahara Museum in Gifu, Japan.

[edit] Operators

Japan
- Japan Air Self-Defence Force

C-1

402nd Squadron, 2nd Tactical Airlift Group, JSADF, Iruma AB

403rd Squadron, 3rd Tactical Airlift Group, JSADF, Miho AB

C-1FTB

Air Development and Test Wing, Gifu AB, JSADF

[edit] Specifications of Kawasaki C-1

General characteristics

Crew: 5 - pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster
Capacity: 60 soldiers, 45 paratroopers, 36 patients with medics, or cargo
Length: 95 ft 2 in (29 m)
Wingspan: 100 ft 4 in (30.58)
Height: 32 ft 9 in (9.99 m)
Wing area: 1297 ft² (120.5 m²)
Empty weight: 53450 lb (23320 kg)
Loaded weight: 85320 lb (38700 kg)
Useful load: 17420 lb (7900 kg
Maximum load: 26240 lb (11900 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 99200 lb (45000 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Mitsubishi-built Pratt & Whitney JT8D-M-9, 14500 lbf (64.5 kN) each