Every Helicopter Made By Kawasaki (And What They're Used For)

Ever since Shozo Kawasaki opened the Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard in Tokyo, Japan in 1878, the company has grown to become one of the leaders in the world of transportation. From motorcycles to aircraft, Kawasaki operates in a variety of markets. The organization started by manufacturing cargo-passenger ships before eventually successfully trying its hand at building submarines beginning in 1906. From the 1910s to the 1950s, Kawasaki continued its rapid expansion into other areas of manufacturing by building locomotives, airplanes, automobiles, and so much more.

In 1952, Kawasaki carved out a niche for itself when it started producing helicopters. Though Japanese aircraft manufacturing struggled to regain its footing after the Treaty of Peace with Japan took effect post-World War II, Kawasaki was able to buck the trend by signing an agreement with Bell Aircraft Corporation (now Bell Helicopter Textron) to build helicopters for the U.S. company. Thus, the Kawasaki-Bell 47D-1 helicopter was born, marking the completion of the first helicopter built in Japan.

70 years later, Kawasaki is still one of the world leaders in helicopter production. The company currently offers four helicopter models: the BK117 Helicopter (often used for emergency services), the MCH/CH-101 Helicopter (which assists military operations with minesweeping), and the CH-47J/JA transport helicopter, as well as the OH-1 observation helicopter (both used for military defense purposes).

The BK117 is a twin-engine, medium-sized helicopter that was developed by Kawasaki in collaboration with Airbus Helicopters — a subsidiary of French commercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Since the first BK117 was delivered in 1983, the chopper has served its purpose in emergency services. In the medical field, Kawasaki says that its BK117 helicopters have become a best-selling model and a preferred choice amongst healthcare professionals. The completely flat floor and the large cabin make it ideal for emergency medical transportation missions.

BK117 models also serve important functions outside of the medical field. These choppers are also used in firefighting and disaster relief efforts. On top of that, the BK117 is utilized by police precinct aviation units. These helicopters are even operated by media networks and companies looking to provide aerial coverage of live and ongoing events.

The company currently offers the helicopter in three models: The C-2 is 42.6 feet long and almost 13 feet high. With a length of 44.6 feet, the D-2 is the longest BK117 helicopter. Lastly, the D-3 is the tallest BK117 standing at 13.1 feet high.

Kawasaki's MCH/CH-101 is derived from the EH101 medium-lift helicopter, developed and manufactured by the Italian-based Leonardo aerospace and defense organization. After Leonardo joined forces with Kawasaki, the two organizations were able to transform the EH101 into the MCH-101 by incorporating a Japanese-developed minesweeping mission system into the aircraft. Meanwhile, the MCH-101's family — simply known as CH-101s — are used as transportation support vessels during Antarctic exploration missions.

Leonardo has clearly been thrilled with Kawasaki's contributions to the MCH/CH-101s because the two companies signed a new contractual agreement in June 2023 to build additional MCH-101 helicopters for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. The deal also led to the creation of the mid-life update (MLU) program for this model of helicopter in Japan.

Kawasaki only offers one version of the MCH/CH-101. That model is 74.8 feet long and over 21.5 feet high, making it the tallest Kawasaki helicopter available on the market. The main rotor of the helicopter has a diameter of roughly 61 feet.

One of Kawasaki's oldest helicopter models, the CH-47 is an incredibly large tandem-motor transportation chopper that was first developed by Boeing over 60 years ago. The prototype model, the CH-47A, was used as the U.S. Army's main transportation helicopter starting in 1962. Over the years, its performance has been upgraded following the creation of its successors, the CH-47B and CH-47C.

The eventual development of the CH-47D laid the groundwork for Kawasaki to build its own version of this chopper — the CH-47J — in 1984. Less than a decade later, Kawasaki began manufacturing the CH-47JA, which came with several new and important features, including a larger fuel tank. As of November 2024, Kawasaki has delivered over 110 CH-47J/47JAs to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, as well as the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

At a little over 99 feet in length, the CH-47J/JA is easily the longest helicopter built by Kawasaki. Additionally, it is 18 feet tall, and comes equipped with a main rotor that is a little more than 60 feet in diameter.

The last chopper currently being produced by Kawasaki is the OH-1 Light Observation helicopter. This tandem two-seat chopper was built to have an excellent flying response time. It also comes outfitted with an automatic pilot system that maintains flight function, and a tail rotor that helps make the aircraft more stable in flight. In recent years, Kawasaki upgraded the helicopter so that it comes with an integrated cockpit display system as well.

In 1992, Kawasaki began building the OH-1 Light Observation helicopter for the Japanese Ministry of Defense. Though it took some time to perfect, a prototype of the OH-1 aircraft made its first successful flight just four years later in 1996. The OH-1 also holds the honor of being the first Kawasaki helicopter to be manufactured completely in Japan.

As one of Kawasaki's smaller models, the OH-1 only has a maximum length of 43.9 feet. It also has Kawasaki's smallest cabin, with a height of less than 12.5 feet.