The story
Most maritime patrol aircraft are converted airliners. The Kawasaki P-1 is not: Japan built a four-engine jet around the mission from the start, with a weapons bay, a magnetic anomaly detector in the tail, and sensors watching the Pacific for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The P-1 was the first production aircraft in the world to fly with fiber-optic flight controls — fly-by-light instead of fly-by-wire.
Quick answers
How do you identify a P-1?
Four engines under a low wing with a long tail stinger — the magnetic anomaly detector. Japan only: if you catch one outside the western Pacific, it's on a very long deployment.
What does a P-1 sound like?
Four small turbofans — a soft, whispery jet sound for an aircraft that hunts by listening.
How fast is the P-1?
Top speed is 538 kts.
How many people does the P-1 carry?
Typical configuration: 3 flight crew + 8 mission crew.
How far can the P-1 fly?
Range is about 4,300 nmi.
How big is the P-1?
It is 124 ft 8 in long and 116 ft 2 in across the wings.
When did the P-1 first fly?
Its first flight was in 2007.
How many P-1s have been built?
35+ built.
How rare is a P-1 in Bogey?
RARE. A good day. Most spotters go weeks between sightings of something this rare. Your first P-1 catch is worth 250 points.
