If the Kawasaki C-2 sale to UAE went through, it would be the first export of a weapon system built in Japan
As reported by the Nikkei, the United Arab Emirates has approached Japan to buy a unspecified number of Kawasaki C-2 transport aircraft.
Both sides have to conclude a treaty regarding the transfer of defense equipment and technology before the aircraft can be sold to the UAE.
Noteworthy if the C-2 sale to UAE went through, it would be the first export of a weapon system built in Japan.
In 2014 in fact the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discarded the 1967 self-imposed ban on the export of weapons.
Nevertheless Japan still forbids exports of defense equipment and technology to countries engaged in conflict, a restrictive guideline that could be a sticking point in the C-2 export to UAE considering that the country is part of a Saudi-led coalition that is attacking Yemen.
However a Japanese Defense Ministry official said the sale can go through since “the UAE is not the one who is leading the intervention” in Yemen.
The C-2 is a mid-size, twin-turbofan engine, long range, high speed military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The aircraft, which entered service with the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) in June 2016, features a cruising range of 7,600km, nearly twice that of the Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules, which the JASDF also uses. In addition, the C-2 can carry 20 tons or so, four times more than the C-130.
The C-2 is wide enough to carry amphibious and combat vehicles, and can handle missions to remote islands.
Photo credit: 防衛装備庁（ATLA) and Hunini (Own work) via Wikipedia
