JGSDF receives first MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft

摘要

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has taken delivery of its first Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The aircraft, which is one of two Ospreys that arrived at US Marine Corps (USMC) Air Station Iwakuni in Japan's Yama-guchi Prefecture on 8 May, was flown by a JGSDF pilot to Camp Kisarazu on 10 July. The two platforms, which bear serial numbers '91701' and '91705', are part of an initial five MV-22B Block C Ospreys ordered by Tokyo in mid-2015 for USD332.5 million. A JGSDF spokesperson told Janes that Tokyo plans to deploy a total of 17 Ospreys at Camp Kisarazu by the end of fiscal year 2021 for about five years, after which the aircraft are expected to be deployed to a JGSDF base at Saga Airport on Kyushu Island that has yet to be built.