Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says he wants to introduce a controversial US military aircraft to the Self-Defense Forces.
He said in a speech on Thursday that Osprey tilt-rotor planes are easy to store onboard ships and useful for disaster relief in remote areas.
Onodera said Ground SDF personnel can only load their helicopters onto Maritime SDF vessels after removing the rotors.
A team of SDF personnel used the helicopters in the Philippines last month to help survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.
Onodera says it took 2 days to remove the rotors and another 2 days to re-attach them. He says personnel had to spend time doing this before starting their rescue work.
The Defense Minister said when he was in the disaster zone he watched as an Osprey landed on a Japanese vessel and folded its rotors in 2 minutes. He said this convinced him to seek the aircraft for the SDF.
Source: NHK
