JGSDF begins MV-22B Osprey flight operations

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) put its Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft into service on 6 November, making it the first international partner to operate the US-made platform, according to a statement issued six days later by US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

“The JGSDF is taking a big step toward integrating the V-22’s unique capabilities into its mission,” said US Marine Corps (USMC) Colonel Matthew Kelly, programme manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275), adding that the first operational flight, which took place from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, followed a ceremony held on 3 November, marking the activation of Japan’s V-22 programme.

“The activation of the JGSDF’s Transportation Aviation Group flight operations is a major milestone for both the Japanese and V-22 Joint Program Office and follows a key success this summer: delivering the first aircraft to Japan, on schedule, during a global pandemic,” added NAVAIR in its statement.

The latest development comes after the JGSDF took delivery of its second MV-22B Osprey on 16 July. The aircraft, which was one of two Ospreys to arrive at USMC Air Station Iwakuni in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture on 8 May, was flown that day by a JGSDF pilot to Camp Kisarazu: six days after the service received the first such platform.

These two aircraft, 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.

Following the arrival of the first Osprey, a JGSDF spokesperson had told Janes