The ShinMaywa US-2 is a large Japanese
short takeoff and landing amphibious aircraft
An amphibious aircraft, or amphibian, is an aircraft that can Takeoff, take off and Landing, land on both solid ground and water. These aircraft are typically Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing, though Amphibious helicopter, amphibious helicopte ...
that employs
boundary layer control technology for enhanced STOL and
stall suppression performance. Manufactured by seaplane specialist
ShinMaywa
is a Japanese industrial conglomerate descended from the Kawanishi Aircraft Company. Founded as Shin Meiwa Industries in 1949, the company was rebranded as ShinMaywa during 1992. Prior to this, the company was also known as ''Shin Meiwa Industry ...
(formerly ''Shin Meiwa''), it was developed from the earlier
Shin Meiwa US-1A seaplane, which was introduced during the 1970s.
The ShinMaywa US-2 was developed on behalf of the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as a 'like-for-like' replacement for its aging US-1A fleet. In Japanese service, it is operated in the
air-sea rescue
Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...
(ASR) role. The US-2 can also be used in other capacities, such as an aerial fire fighter, carrying 15 tonnes of water for this mission. Various overseas operators have held discussions on potential acquisitions of the type, including the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
and
Indian Coast Guard. Other countries such as the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, and
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
have also shown interest in the US-2 for various purposes.
Design and development
During 1969, the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) issued a production order to Japanese seaplane manufacturer
Shin Meiwa for a group of 21
anti-submarine aircraft, which were given the designation
PS-1.
The service had also opted to procure a variant of the type, designated
US-1A, specifically for
search-and-rescue (SAR). The US-1A was Japan's first
amphibian
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...
- capable of being used on land and sea.
During the 1990s when the US-1A fleet was beginning to show its age, the JMSDF attempted to obtain funding towards acquiring a replacement, but could not secure enough to develop an entirely new aircraft. Therefore, during 1995, ShinMaywa, as Shin Meiwa had been renamed (reportedly so that the name would be easier to pronounce for non-Japanese speakers
) commenced work on a project to develop an upgraded and modernised version of the US-1A, initially referred to as the US-1A ''kai'' (US-1A 改 - meaning "improved US-1A"). This modified aircraft features numerous aerodynamic refinements over its predecessor, along with a pressurised hull, and the adoption of more powerful
Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engines and electronic cockpit instrumentation.
The JMSDF also listed various refinements for the amphibian, including improved handling while landing on water, better onboard patient transfer facilities, and improved search-and-rescue capabilities at sea.
[Simpson, James]
"Japan's defense industry is super excited about this amphibious plane."
''The Week'', 10 September 2015.
On 18 December 2003, flight testing of the type, which was subsequently designated as the US-2, commenced.
The US-2 was designed with the capability to land in waves up to in height, corresponding to
sea states of 4 to 5. During early 2007, ShinMaywa formally launched commercial production of the amphibian. Production is handled by several of Japan's aviation companies.
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
manufactures the outer wing sections and the rear part of the engine nacelles, while
NIPPI Corporation builds the watertight landing gear housings, and
Kawasaki Heavy Industries produces the cockpit. Final assembly is performed by ShinMaywa around the US-2's
hull. The production line only has the capacity to produce two aircraft at a time.
During 2009, the first production US-2, which was outfitted for the search and rescue mission, was delivered to the Japan's Ministry of Defense.
In 2010, ShinMaywa unveiled specifications for a civil fire-fighting variant of its US-2 amphibian. It began marketing the new variant to potential overseas customers that same year. The fire-fighting model replaces one fuel tank with a 15 tonne water tank, reducing its maximum range to 2,300 km (1,245 nm) compared with the SAR's 4,700 km range. The tank is durable enough for salt water, foam and
fire retardant
A fire retardant is a substance that is used to slow down or stop the spread of fire or reduce its intensity. This is commonly accomplished by chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of fuels or delay their combustion. Fire retardants ...
. Other features include a pair of water scoops for collecting water, automatic foam mixing equipment and a computer-controlled water drop system.
Operational history
Japan

The JMSDF intends to purchase up to 14 US-2s for its search and rescue needs. The type is currently operated by the 31st Fleet Air Wing (71st Air Force, 71st Flight Squadron) of the JMSDF from both
Iwakuni Air Base and
Atsugi Air Base
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato, Kanagawa, Yamato and Ayase, Kanagawa, Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean, and once housed ...
. The introduction of the US-2 has enabled the withdrawal of the US-1A, the last of which performed its final flight during December 2017. By November 2018, a total of six US-2s had been delivered while a further two aircraft were under production.
During April 2015, aircraft 9905 was involved in an accident. Local news programs showed the aircraft floating nose down in the ocean, and reported it was on a training mission near
Cape Ashizuri
is a headland at the southernmost tip of the Japanese island of Shikoku, in the Municipalities of Japan, city of Tosashimizu, Kōchi, Tosashimizu, Kōchi Prefecture. The promontory extends into the Pacific Ocean and is situated within Ashizuri-Uw ...
in
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
, and was either taking off or landing when it sustained significant damage, reportedly having lost an engine. Four of the nineteen occupants were injured, but all were rescued successfully, and the aircraft was written off.
Export opportunities
Since the early 2010s, the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
has an established requirement for between 12 and 18 US-2 amphibians configured as search and rescue aircraft at an anticipated cost of US$1.65 billion. The
Indian Coast Guard has also shown interest in procuring three aircraft for its own purposes.
It is expected that, if procured, several of these amphibians would be stationed in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India comprising 572 islands, of which only 38 are inhabited. The islands are grouped into two main clusters: the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a ...
.
Indian authorities have reportedly been keen to have the US-2 assembled in India via a
licensing arrangement. Performing final assembly of the aircraft locally is expected to cost 25% less than in Japan.
Negotiations between the two nations commenced during 2011.
The process of finalising purchase arrangements for the aircraft, which would represent the first sale of military equipment by Japan to India since the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, have been protracted.
During October 2016, ShinMaywa announced that it had reduced the offered price to around US$113 million per aircraft. At one point, there were expectations that Japan and India would be signing a contract for the US-2 purchase during November 2016. The decision was deferred by Indian defence minister
Manohar Parrikar. During March 2018, Japanese ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu informed ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
Business Line'' that talks between the two nations were still in progress. During April 2018, ShinMaywa signed a memorandum of understanding with Indian conglomerate
Mahindra Group
Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group has operations in over 100 countries, with a presence in aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket automotive components, construction equipment, defen ...
in support of future Indian sales. As of 2021, further negotiations were stopped due to disagreement on pricing.
Another prospective customer is
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, which has been reportedly concerned by a growing Chinese military presence across the islands of the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
. It has been speculated that Indonesia could be a key partner in the production of the US-2, potentially competing with India for workshare in the programme.
Reportedly, without implementing outsourced production, ShinMaywa is unlikely to be unable to promptly fulfil the needs of a third customer due to its limited production capacity.
ShinMaywa was in talks at the time with PT Dirgantara.
There have also been reports that
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
is interested in purchasing a number of US-2s as
maritime patrol aircraft. The nation is reportedly seeking to bolster its surveillance and
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...
capabilities while developing deeper defense ties between itself and Japan.
Following a series of deadly fires in the
Attica region of
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
circa July 2018, the Greek government reportedly sought to order several US-2s to replace their aging firefighting fleet. If the sale is completed, it would be the first major defense procurement by Greece from a Japanese supplier.
Operators
;
*
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force
Specifications (US-2)
See also
References
Citations
External links
ShinMaywa US-2 siteMAST Asia 2015US-2 Brochure
{{JSDF aircraft designations
US-2
2000s Japanese military rescue aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Four-engined tractor aircraft
Four-engined turboprop aircraft
Flying boats
Amphibious aircraft
Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear
T-tail aircraft
STOL aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2003
Aerial firefighting aircraft
Post–Cold War military equipment of Japan