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Kawasaki T-4

🇯🇵 Japan ·first flew 1985· intermediate trainer aircraft

🎖️ military 2× jet ✓ still flying
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. 20171009133407!66-5748 Kawasaki T-4 Sotai Shireibu (cropped): Jerry Gunner· CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. 2. 36-5696 Kawasaki T-4 of 304 Hikotai, Tsuiki AB (5229612186): Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK· CC BY 2.0
  3. 3. JASDF Kawasaki T-4 (10): 航空自衛隊· CC BY 4.0
  4. 4. Kawasaki T-4, Japan - Air Force AN2276800: Toshi Aoki - JP Spotters· CC BY-SA 3.0
  5. 5. Kawasaki T-4 flies over Hyakuri Airbase June 2017: Z3144228· CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 6. Kawasaki T-4 night operations at Chitose Air Base: Suga· CC BY-SA 2.5
  7. 7. 20181208 Kawasaki T-4 parked Naha Air Show 2018-1: Balon Greyjoy· CC0
  8. 8. 20181208 Kawasaki T-4 parked Naha Air Show 2018-7: Balon Greyjoy· CC0
  9. 9. JASDF Kawasaki T-4 (8): 航空自衛隊· CC BY 4.0
  10. 10. JASDF Kawasaki T-4 (9): 航空自衛隊· CC BY 4.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Kawasaki T-4, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Jerry Gunner· CC BY-SA 4.0

what is it?

The Kawasaki T-4 is a Japanese subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed and manufactured by the commercial conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Its sole operator is the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), in part due to historic restrictions on the exporting of military hardware. In addition to its primary training mission, the T-4 has been used by the JASDF's Blue Impulse aerobatic team as well as liaison duties with most fighter units.

How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 9.9 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 1,038 km/htop speed
  • range 1,668 kmwithout refuelling
  • size 7,500 kgmax take-off weight

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 41 years ago, in 1985.
  • Top speed is 8.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 9.9 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Range of 1,668 km: 9× Amsterdam to Brussels.
  • Can fly 1.7× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight
1985-07-29
introduced
1988
status
still flying
number built
—
role
intermediate trainer aircraft
origin
🇯🇵 Japan
makers
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
engines
2× Ishikawajima-Harima F3-IHI-30
crew
2
length
13 m
wingspan
9.9 m
height
4.6 m
max take-off weight
7,500 kg
top speed
1,038 km/h
range
1,668 km
ceiling
15,240 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q1152474, Wikipedia: Kawasaki T-4 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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