By Franz-Stefan Gady
The U.S. State Department just approved a $3 billion arms deal with Japan.
Yesterday, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the U.S. State Department approved a possible $3 billion sale of 17 V-22 Osprey military transport aircraft and associated equipment to Japan.
U.S. Congress now has to approve the concept of the sale and the Japanese government will also have to give the go-ahead before companies can agree to term and delivery dates, USNI News reports. In January 2015, the Japanese diet approved a defense budget that called for the purchase of five Ospreys. Deliveries of all aircraft are expected to be completed within the next five years.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft is a hybrid between a conventional helicopter and turboprop plane with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. It outperforms traditional helicopters in terms of speed and range and has been deployed to the Western Pacific by the U.S. Marine Corps since the late 2000s. The DSCA press release reads:
Japan is modernizing its transport fleet to better support its defense and special mission needs. The proposed sale of V-22B Block C Osprey aircraft will greatly enhance the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities and support amphibious operations. This sale will promote burden sharing with our ally and interoperability with U.S. forces. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.
Read the full story at The Diplomat