The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) has ordered two more Airbus H225 helicopters, taking its total Super Puma fleet up to 17, of which two are AS332s and 15 are H225s.
The largest Super Puma operator in Japan received its 10th H225 in February of this year.
The new helicopters will support territorial coastal activities, security enforcement, as well as disaster relief missions in the country.
“From the first Super Puma delivery nearly 30 years ago to the latest H225 orders, we greatly appreciate Japan Coast Guard’s continued trust in our products and services,” said Guillaume Leprince, managing director of Airbus Helicopters in Japan. “This repeat H225 order reinforces the aircraft’s position as a reference in SAR operations and security enforcement. We are proud of how the deployment of the agency’s fleet has ensured mission success throughout the years. Airbus will continue to ensure the fleet’s high availability, in support of the agency’s safe operations.”
JCG’s H225 fleet is covered by Airbus’ highly adaptive HCare Smart full-by-the-hour material support. This customised fleet availability program allows the national coast guard agency to focus on its flight operations whilst Airbus manages its assets
Close to 30 helicopters from the Super Puma family are currently flown in Japan by civil, parapublic operators, and Japan’s Ministry of Defense for various search and rescue missions, VIP, fire-fighting, and passenger and goods transportation.
© Travel News Asia
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Goodlucktoyou
We need 500 situated along fault lines.
BeerDeliveryGuy
If they changed the CG from a subdivision of the Ministry of Land and Infrastructure, to the Ministry of Defense (as is the international norm) they could use the Kawasaki “Seahawk” variant of the UH-60 “Blackhawk” and share the integrated network system with the MSDF.
Legrande
We need 500 situated along fault lines
Of course, more kick backs for the money trough, please buy more.
Penfold
Having a bogeyman next door is good for business
Desert Tortoise
The model for coast guards around the world is the US Coast Guard. The US Coast Guard has never in it's history been under the War Department, Department of the Navy (how the US armed forces were organized prior to 1947) or the Department of Defense. The US Coast Guard started out as the US Revenue Marine under the Department of the Treasury and their mission was countering smugglers. The Revenue Marine was merged with the Lighthouse Service and re-named the US Coast Guard, still under the Department of the Treasury. During the Nixon administration the Coast Guard was transferred to the newly formed Department of Transportation. After 9-11 the Coast Guard was transferred to the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. It is only during time of war that Coast Guard units operate in combat with the US Navy but even during war they remain under ultimate control of the civilian department to which they are attached.
The reason the Coast Guard is not part of the Department of Defense is that they engage in civilian law enforcement. The Navy cannot do that. In fact Navy ships will often embark a Coast Guard team and small boats when they anticipate boarding civilian ships to counter arms smuggling in places like the Persian Gulf or to stop drug smugglers closer to home. As a result other nations follow the US model and place their Coast Guards outside of their defense organization. The Russian equivalent is under the FSB (even in Soviet times there was a KGB "navy" outside of the Voyenno-Morskly Flot). The "Coasties" are a law enforcement agency, not part of the military even though their organization is roughly similar to that of the Navy and they will fight with the Navy in time of war.
Desert Tortoise
Btw, an MH-60R, the ASW variant of the Blackhawk, is a terrible Search and Rescue (SAR) or MEDEVAC platform. Why? The cabin is jam packed with electronics consoles and the reeling machine for the dipping sonar. There is almost no room for a SAR swimmer and a litter. It can be done, but the SAR swimmer is basically standing over top of the litter (dripping water on the victim and hopefully not dripping too much salt water on the electronics he or she will be standing right next too). The US Coast Guard has a dedicated SAR version of the Blackhawk with the landing gear and other features tailored for small shipboard flight decks. The Super Puma is a good stable SAR platform with a much taller cabin than the Blackhawk, making it easier to work when hoisting victims from the water or the deck of a ship, and there is more room inside for litters and medical personnel. The Blackhawk derived Seahawks were chosen by the US Navy because they are low, which meant shipboard hangers didn't have to be as tall as they would have had to be for a helo like the Super Puma or the old SH-3 Sea King (one of the helos I used to fly btw). Among current US helicopters the SIkorsky S-92 would be closer to the Super Puma in terms of cabin height and general ease of use for SAR, but I suspect the Super Puma is less expensive to buy and is a good value in any event.