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| P-1 (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) received the first two of a fleet of next generation P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft on Tuesday, with the planes scheduled to be deployed at Atsugi Air Base in Kanagawa Prefecture later this month, local media reported.
The official delivery ceremony held earlier in the day in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, heralds the beginning of the JMSDF's plans to acquire seven of the high-tech planes to be deployed by March 2014 and a total of 70 P-1s in the long-run, officials said.
The P-1s, designed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. in cooperation with the Defense Ministry, will replace the current over 80 aging P-3 Orion patrol planes used by the JMSDF.
Read the full story at Navy Recognition