By Ricky Hough
An announcement that it would be procuring the MV-22 Osprey adds another element to a future amphibious marine force.
A recent announcement by Japan’s Ministry of Defense that it would be going ahead with the procurement of the MV-22 Osprey was another step in its methodical efforts to piece together the necessary tools to launch an amphibious marine force modeled after the United States Marine Corps.
The announcement outlined plans to procure 17 of the tilt-rotor aircraft over a three-year period beginning in fiscal 2015 through fiscal 2018. Produced by U.S. aerospace manufacture Bell Boeing, the Osprey functions as a dual-use, tilt-rotor aircraft that can both hover as helicopter and fly like a conventional airplane.
Although the MV-22 Osprey is unpopular in Japan due to its suspect safety record, the Japan’s procurement of the aircraft didn’t come as much of a surprise. Japan has been eyeing the aircraft for quite some time. Although the Osprey’s safety record was marred by several high-profile accidents during the early testing phase, the United States Marine Corps have deployed it in full operation capacity since 2007 without incident.
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