The V-22 Osprey bound for Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) units arrived in Japan at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni on May 8, 2020. The first two aircraft arrived aboard the MV Green Ridge, a transport ship chartered by the US Navy Military Command (MSC) and was unloaded at the US Marine Air Force Station in Iwakuni. The unloading of the V-22s in Iwakuni marked the first time that a JGSDF V-22 arrived on Japanese soil. Some of the V-22s will be stationed aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s new helicopter carrier ‘Izumo’.
In 2012, former Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto ordered an investigation of the costs of V-22 operations. The V-22 exceeds current Japan Self-Defense Forces helicopters in terms of range, speed, and payload. The ministry anticipated deployments to the Nansei Islands and the Senkaku Islands, as well as in multinational cooperation with the U.S. Japan considered plans to have V-22s in service in a maritime role by as early as 2015. On 21 November 2014, the Japanese Ministry of Defense officially decided to procure 17 V-22s, with deliveries planned from FY 2014 to FY 2019.
The JGSDF plans to introduce the Osprey V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft to conduct rescue and special operations missions, the US Marine Corps which facilitated the arrival, released information and images of the event. These are the V-22B Block C variant, which feature a new radar, along with additional mission management and electronic warfare equipment. Japan ordered the first five Ospreys for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in July 2015 for $332 million.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. A partnership between Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters was awarded a development contract in 1983 for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft.
