After researching foreign aircraft such as the
C-130J Super Hercules,
C-17 Globemaster III, and
Airbus A400M, the
Japanese Ministry of Defense concluded that there were no aircraft in production that possessed the capabilities that the JASDF required. In response to this need, the Japanese MOD commenced the production of plans to develop an indigenously designed and manufactured transport aircraft. In 1995, Kawasaki appealed to the
Japanese Defense Agency (JDA) to issue funding for the development of a domestically built C-X transport aircraft. In 2000, the JDA began forming its requirement for the replacement military airlifter; early determinations for the proposed project included that it would be powered by
turbofan engines, possess the range to reach
Hawaii from Japan, and carry double the payload of the C-130. In May 2001, the MOD formally issued a
request for proposals in regards to the new transport aircraft, referred to as the C-X program; at the time, the MOD planned to procure 40 aircraft to replace its aging
Kawasaki C-1 and
C-130 Hercules fleets. In December 2001, it was announced that
Kawasaki Aerospace Company, the aerospace division of
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, had been selected by the JDA as the prime contractor to develop the C-X. Kawasaki developed the C-X in parallel with the
P-X, which it had also been selected to develop. As a cost saving measure, major airframe parts and system components were shared between the two aircraft. They use the same basic wing structure, although it is installed at different
sweep angle and dihedral on the two versions, with different high lift devices and powerplant attachments. Common components include the cockpit windows, outer wings, horizontal stabilizer, and other systems. Internal shared parts include the
auxiliary power unit, cockpit panel, flight control system computer, anti-collision lights, and gear control unit. Several powerplants were considered for the C-X, including the
Rolls-Royce Trent 800, the
General Electric CF6-80C2L1F and the
Pratt & Whitney PW4000. In May 2003, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) announced its support of General Electric's CF6-80C2L1F engine, having formed an arrangement to locally manufacture the powerplant. That same year, the CF6-80C2L1F was selected to power the type. In August 2003, it was announced that the C-X project had passed a preliminary JDA design review, allowing for prototype manufacturing to proceed. During the construction of the first prototype, there was a problem discovered with some American-made rivets which delayed the roll-out to 4 July 2007 along with its cousin aircraft
P-X (since designated as the P-1). During structural testing, deformation of the XP-1 / XC-2 horizontal stabiliser was found, as well as cracking in the XC-2 undercarriage trunnion structure and parts of the fuselage; the cracking problem was reportedly difficult to address. Postponement of the F-X program and the need to increase funding of the
F-15J fleet modernisation program have necessitated the implementation of a one-year delay in the C-X program. In 2014, the aircraft was delayed again following the failure of the rear cargo door during pressure tests. The delay will increase the program cost by to 260 billion yen in addition to delays to the program. Kawasaki has also studied the development of a civil-orientated version of the C-2 with ambitions to sell the type to commercial operators. In this variant, tentatively designated as the YC-X, little modification is envisioned from the C-2, making use of transferable technologies from the military airlifter, although the intended payload is likely to be increased from the C-2's 26-ton maximum to 37 tons. In 2007, it was stated that the development of a civilian derivative of the C-2 has been given a lower priority than the completion of the military airlifter. In late 2012, Kawasaki was in the process of consulting potential customers on the topic of the YC-X for transporting
outsize cargo; based upon customer feedback, Kawasaki forecast an estimated demand for up to 100 freighters capable of handling bulky cargoes between 2020 and 2030. On March 20, 2023, Kawasaki representatives said that they are looking into lowering the C-2's production cost, which is a concern both the Ministry of Defense and potential export customers have mentioned to them in the past. ==Design==