-The Kawasaki T-4 is a twin-engine jet trainer of the JASDF.
-The Air Self-Defense Force was forced to choose a new training aircraft that would replace the aging T-33A and T-1.
-In 1981, the budget for the new training aircraft was approved, and the plan for MTX (new intermediate jet training aircraft) started.
-MTX, which was developed as a purely domestic machine, competed with three aircraft manufacturers such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Fuji Heavy Industries, but Kawasaki Heavy Industries became the main contract company in September 1984. It was
-The basic design of the aircraft that has been changed from MTX to X-T4 was started in October 1984 with the addition of design members for Mitsubishi, Fuji, Shinmeiwa and Japanese planes.
-The basic structure of the airframe was decided by twin engine installation, middle wing arrangement, tandem (longitudinal arrangement) cockpit arrangement.
-A major change from the initial design was a change in the main landing gear.
-Initially planned to be T-2 format main landing gear, but it has been changed to F-104 format.
-Engines were considered including those made in foreign countries, but finally it was decided to be the domestically produced XF-3 engine made by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries, and it was decided that a domestically produced aircraft will be born for both the aircraft and the engine.
-This engine is a small turbofan engine with thrust of 1.6 tons and incorporating the latest technology, and the motion performance of the aircraft with this engine is similar to F-15.
-In addition to this, the XT-4 was developed incorporating many new technologies.
-Heavy use of composite materials for airframe structural members, adoption of on-board oxygen generator (OBOGS=On-Board Oxygen Generating System), adoption of digital data bus, adoption of ring laser gyro AHRS, first in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force This is a pea crushing method escape device.
-The first XT-4 was rolled out at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Gifu factory on April 17, 1985, and made its first flight on July 29, 1985.
-After that, after various flight tests were fully performed using four XT-4, it was delivered to the Defense Agency.
-The mass production model of T-4 was deployed to the 1st Air Wing in Hamamatsu in 1988 and replaced with T-33A.
-After that, the replacement of each air wing with the contact T-33A also progressed sequentially, and the replacement with T-1A/B at the next stage has also started at Ashiya Base 13 cult.
-As a result, the Air Self-Defense Force pilot will change to a rational training course that will change from the primary training aircraft reciprocating engine T-3 to the jet training aircraft T-4 and later to F-15DJ, F-2B.
