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Kawasaki Aerospace Company

Defence still dominates KHI's aerospace division, Japan's second largest aerospace company after Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Its origins can be traced back to the Kawasaki Aircraft Industries that supplied fighters to the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. It became a KHI division in 1969 and has been a successful defense contractor in Japan ever since. Defence still dominates KHI's aerospace division, Japan's second largest aerospace company after Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Its origins can be traced back to the Kawasaki Aircraft Industries that supplied fighters to the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. It became a KHI division in 1969 and has been a successful defense contractor in Japan ever since.

Kawasaki's first president, Kojiro Matsukata, was impressed by the use of airplanes in World War I and established the Aircraft Department at the Hyogo Works in 1918. It was just a short 15 years since the Wright brothers' historic flight when airplanes were still made from wood and cloth and could only travel short distances. In 1922, the Company began manufacturing aircraft and established a new aircraft plant. Kawasaki went on to build Japan's first metal aircraft, thereby laying the groundwork for the technological innovations of today.

In 1922, Kawasaki completed its first airplane at its Hyogo works, and conducted test flights in Sohara Village (currently Kakamigahara City), Gifu Prefecture. The Japanese Army admitted its excellence based on the test flights, and adopted it for the first military plane, the Type Otsu 1 surveillance plane. Kawasaki manufactured about 300 planes of this type until 1927. During World War II, the Company (Kawasaki Aircraft) manufactured the type 3-1 fighter Hien, the only air-cooled fighter developed in Japan during the war. Hien was known for its world-class performance, with a maximum speed of 610 km/h and the capability to fly in formation even at an altitude of 10,000m.

Japan's aircraft industry, which mainly manufactured military airplanes, was suppressed when World War II ended in 1945. Production of aircraft was prohibited for seven years until 1952 when the Treaty of Peace with Japan became effective. Even after the prohibition was lifted, the industry faced difficulties in restoring business due to the seven-year blank. However, Kawasaki started designing of a four-seat transporter at Gifu Works, and in 1953 completed the KAL-1 transport airplane.

In addition, Kawasaki focused on developing helicopters at Akashi Works. In 1952, the Company signed a technical agreement with Bell Aircraft Corporation (currently Bell Helicopter Textron) of the U.S., and in 1954 completed the Kawasaki-Bell 47D-1 helicopter, the first helicopter built in Japan. Kawasaki manufactured six 47D-1 helicopters for the Ground Self-Defense Force.

In the 1960s, at the beginning of Japan's high economic growth era, large-scale mergers between companies were booming, aimed at strengthening their international competitiveness, which accelerated consolidation in various industries. Amid these circumstances, Masashi Isano, president of Kawasaki Dockyard, conceived the idea of creating a great Kawasaki enterprise by merging major group companies. This was based on his long-held dream to raise the Company to a comprehensive heavy industrial enterprise providing products for endeavors on land, at sea, and in the air, which first president Kojiro Matsukata, had directed in the past.

Presidents of the three companies-Isano of Kawasaki Dockyard, Masao Ueda of Kawasaki Rolling Stock Manufacturing and Kiyoshi Yotsumoto of Kawasaki Aircraft-all desired a great Kawasaki, and signed a Merger Agreement on March 19, 1968 following discussion and negotiation. On April 1, 1969, Kawasaki Dockyard acquired the two companies, and adopted the new company name Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Note: In Chinese characters, Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd. had already changed its name to Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. in 1937. However, its English name remained Kawasaki Dockyard until the date of the merger of the three companies.) Kawasaki Heavy Industries started with about 26,000 employees, paid-in capital of 28 billion yen, and anticipated first-year sales of 200 billion yen. Isano was named president, and Ueda and Yotsumoto were elected executive vice presidents.

In 1977, Kawasaki started developing the BK117, a multipurpose twin-engine helicopter, with MBB (currently Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH) of Germany, and production began in 1982. The BK117, the first helicopter ever developed in Japan, offers a high standard of safety featuring twin engines, and easier operation using a jointless rotor system. Advanced technology also enables instrument flights even in inclement weather.

In 2007, test planes for fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft (XP-1) and transport aircraft (XC-2) were rolled out at its Gifu Works. In 2001 Kawasaki had been designated the primary contractor for the XP-1 and XC-2 by the Ministry of Defense. The project to develop the XP-1 and XC-2, initiated by the Ministry of Defense in 2001, was the first domestic program to develop large-size aircraft since the C-1 forty years earlier, and the first-ever Japanese effort to work on two such aircraft simultaneously. Following testing of both aircraft at the Gifu Works, Kawasaki delivered the XP-1 to the Ministry of Defense in 2008, and the XC-2 in 2010.