Alongside the capacity for 60 passengers, the aircraft had to be able to take off and land on a 1,200 metre runway and have a flight range of 600 nautical miles (roughly 1,100 kilometres). To meet these challenging requirements, the Rolls-Royce Dart was selected to power the aircraft, thanks to having the thrust and reliability to meet Japan’s needs.
The aircraft which became known as the YS-11 had its first flight in 1962. It went on to support local airlines like All Nippon Airways and Japan Domestic Airlines. YS-11 was also operated by global commercial airlines across Asia, in the USA, South America, Africa and beyond, as well as military operations carried out by the Japan Self-Defense Forces.