Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries will begin marketing its C-2 heavy transport aircraft to Middle Eastern markets, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The effort is part of the Japanese Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) objective of entering the global defence industry market, particularly with the Kawasaki C-2 and P-1 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The P-1 MPA made its international debut at the 2017 Paris Air Show.
The Nikkei Asian Review reported that the Japanese government was already in the process of engaging with the UAE over the possible sale of C-2 aircraft. The UAE is reportedly interested in the C-2. Kawasaki Heavy Industries will present the C-2 at the forthcoming Dubai Air Show in November.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries is pitching the C-2 as a heavyweight complement to the C-130 Hercules (and in the absence of the discontinued Boeing C-17). As per IHS Jane’s, the C-2 has a payload of 30 tons and can fly a range of up to 5,600 km. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, it has a unit price of $173 million U.S.
The C-2 is powered by two General Electric (GE) CF6 turbofan engines, an ubiquitous design that powers a wide range of civilian airliners, among them the Boeing 747 and Airbus A330.
Comparable strategic airlifters include the propfan-powered Airbus Defence & Space (DS) A400M and Antonov (under UkroBoronProm) An-70. Russia’s VTA IL-76MD-90A is a jet-powered alternative.
The Airbus DS A400M has a payload of 30 tons, with which it can fly a range of 4,500 km (and 6,400 km with a 20-ton payload). With a 35-ton payload, the An-70 can fly 5,100 km, but the platform is not in production. UkroBoronProm is hoping to revive the An-70 with U.S. industry support under the Antonov An-77 program. The IL-76MD-90A can reach 5,000 km with a 52-ton payload.
