“Sequential crashes of Self-Defense Force helicopters… “Anxiety factors related to strengthening defense capabilities” Japanese media

by times news cr

2024-04-22 07:50:11

“China’s maritime advance ceremony crashed during anti-submarine warfare training.”
Japan’s Defense Minister: “If you lower the frequency of training, it will be more dangerous in case of emergency.”

ⓒNewsis

In relation to the accident in which two SH-60K patrol helicopters belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force crashed into the sea during night training, resulting in one death and seven missing, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 22nd that the helicopter accident of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is a factor in the strengthening of Japan’s defense capabilities. It was reported.

According to the Ministry of Defense, two helicopters crashed at around 10:30 pm on the 20th during training to detect submarines about 280km east of Torishima Island.

At the time of the accident, a total of 8 people were on board, 4 in each helicopter. One person was confirmed dead after being rescued, and the whereabouts of the remaining seven are unknown. In addition to the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Coast Guard is also conducting a search operation using patrol boats.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, parts of the aircraft, including the wings of two helicopters, and two flight data recorders (FDRs) that record flight conditions were recovered in the waters around the accident site.

The SH60K patrol helicopter that crashed this time can be mounted and flown on a frigate and detect and attack nearby ships or submarines. It can carry anti-submarine bombs or missiles, so it plays an important role in the event of a naval battle. Helicopters also collect information by inserting a sound wave collection device called ‘sonar’ into the sea for underwater detection.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces have recently been strengthening anti-submarine warfare training. Frigates will be deployed to the South China Sea, where Chinese military activities are active, and training will be conducted to detect Maritime Self-Defense Force submarines by treating them as foreign submarines.

Nippon Keizai said, “Anti-submarine warfare, which was being trained at the time of the accident, is one of the main missions of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and is being strengthened in awareness of China’s maritime advancement,” adding, “Keeping Taiwan’s emergency in mind, we are strengthening our capabilities within the framework of Japan and the United States.” “It is also an area that is being strengthened,” the report said.

China is improving its submarine technology and its fleet is approaching that of the United States. Submarines are expected to play an important role in Taiwan’s emergency, and the Self-Defense Forces are conducting anti-submarine warfare training with the U.S. military in an emergency.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara met with reporters at the Ministry of Defense the day before and said, “Training with allies and comrade countries must continue,” and “If we lower the frequency of training, it will become more dangerous in the event of an emergency.”

When a Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter crash occurred in the waters east of Tokyo’s Izu Islands on the night of the 20th, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, “A fatal crash involving a Self-Defense Force helicopter occurred in April of last year as well, so the shock to the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces has not gone away.” “Agitation is also spreading in the area where (SH-60K)’s base is located.”

Accidents involving Self-Defense Force helicopters still occur during training and other events.

In August 2017, the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s SH60J patrol helicopter lost balance and crashed during night training off the coast of Aomori Prefecture, northern Honshu, and three out of four people on board went missing and two were found dead. At the time of the accident, artificial errors such as the pilots’ failure to notice changes in the aircraft led to the accident.

In October 2017, an Air Self-Defense Force rescue helicopter crashed into the sea off Shizuoka Prefecture in central Honshu while on a night training, killing four people on board. The cause was artificial errors, such as the captains misunderstanding the flight altitude.

In July 2021, two SH60 patrol helicopters of the Maritime Self-Defense Force had a contact accident during night training in the waters off Kagoshima Prefecture, the southernmost part of Kyushu.

In addition to training, crashes of Self-Defense Force helicopters continue to occur. In an accident in April last year when a Ground Self-Defense Force multipurpose helicopter crashed off the coast of Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, all 10 people, including the commander of the 8th Division at the time, died. The direct cause of the fall could not be specified due to ‘lack of evidence.’

In February 2018, a Ground Self-Defense Force attack helicopter during an inspection flight crashed into a private house in Saga Prefecture, northern Kyushu, and caught fire, killing the captain and two passengers and slightly injuring a girl in the house.

[서울=뉴시스]

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2024-04-22 07:50:11

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