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The Japanese government, lead by Prime Minister Abe, have been pushing for increased export of made in Japan defense systems for the past year. ******* is reporting that United Kingdom is being offered the Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Kawasaki P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).

Initial talks reportedly took place during the Farnborough Airshow in July last year. The United States have also been pitching the Boeing P-8 Poseidon and the Lockheed Martin SC-130J Sea Hercules MPAs.
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It is the first aircraft in the world fitted with fiber-optics flight controls. Their main strength is that they reduce the risk of electromagnetic interference. ASW (anti-submarine warfare) is assisted by an artificial intelligence. The P-1 is fitted with a Toshiba HPS-106 AESA radar with 360 degree coverage,a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) at the back, and Infrared/Light detection systems.

It has a bomb bay and 8 hardpoints, allowing it to take nearly 9 tons of payloads, including nearly 100 sonobuoys. Its crew consists of a pilot, a co-pilot and 11 operators.