Japan's Final V-22 Osprey: A Powerful Tool to Deter China

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will soon receive its final V-22 Osprey to its Transport Aviation Group. The process began in November 2014 when Japan announced its desire to procure 17 aircraft. This development will be commemorated by a ceremony sponsored by the commanding general of the 1st Helicopter Brigade on July 11 at Camp Kisarazu. It marks a milestone for Japan in developing a new and powerful capability for deterring Chinese aggression. 

The V-22 Osprey's Capabilities 

Japan's purchase of the aircraft represented the V-22's first international sale. Japanese political and military leaders had closely monitored the aircraft. They flew on it (often with this writer) on numerous occasions during the first two years after its arrival in July 2012. The leaders flew first to Iwakuni and then to Okinawa in support of US Marine Corps and alliance missions, before making the announcement a decade ago. They knew, therefore, firsthand its capabilities and the exponential support it could provide for its own forces.

The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft. It is able to take off vertically and hover like a helicopter yet fly horizontally much farther and faster than any conventional helicopter. Because of its speed, range, and versatility, the V-22 is in high demand by military commanders both American and Japanese.

Nevertheless, some critics have deprecated the Osprey unfairly, based on misinformation rather than facts. 

Is the Osprey Safe?

Over the past several decades, Ospreys have amassed more than 750,000 flight hours. As with other military aircraft, some accidents have occurred, and lives have tragically been lost. 

But the reality is that the Osprey is not an outlier in terms of accidents per flight hour. Indeed, the most widely flown military rotorcraft, the H-60 Black Hawk, has a comparable safety record, yet no one is suggesting that Japan, or the United States, stop flying it.

No aircraft is foolproof. But the military learns from safety incidents and works to make the operation of the aircraft safer, whatever the cause — whether due to improper training or operation, or a mechanical or design issue.

Even when confronted with facts, some critics will never be satisfied. The fact remains that the Osprey is a safe aircraft to fly, and it has never been more necessary than it is today.

Contrast the hyperbole one hears about the Osprey's safety with the very real security concerns we face today.

Don't Let China Miscalculate

The People's Republic of China constitutes a clear and present danger to the safety and security of the Japanese people. Once upon a time, its saber-rattling and hyperbolic language could be dismissed as that of a paper tiger. But no longer.

Today, China is matching its belligerent language with a massive arms buildup. It has new muscles, and it is testing its neighbors.

When a power is on the rise, it is easy for it to miscalculate, and that miscalculation can lead to war. If China thinks we — Japan, the United States, and our collective allies and partners — are weak and lack unity, then China might miscalculate and think it can use its mighty force to win a conflict outright. History is replete with aggressors miscalculating the strength and resolve of their opponents, leading to war.

China's incredible build-up of its ground, naval, air, and rocket forces is a supremely difficult challenge for Japan and its allies and partners. Part of the solution to deterring China from aggression is to create dilemmas for their commanders by distributing our forces. 

Incredible Versatility

In the context of overland warfare, the V-22's speed, range, and runway independence make it the ideal combat assault aircraft. In the maritime and amphibious warfare domain, the Osprey will be essential to extending combat reach and supporting a dispersed force over long distances.

Only the Osprey has the versatility and range needed to execute long-range combat assault and rapid-reaction missions overland, in addition to having the capability to support the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. 

The Osprey provides Japanese commanders with both an amphibious capability and the ability to keep a widely dispersed fleet adequately resupplied. 

If runways on land are destroyed by an adversary (or damaged by an earthquake, tsunami, flooding, or typhoon), the Osprey can still safely operate from unimproved or austere landing zones. It can fly vast distances to land not just on the Japanese Izumo Class Helicopter Carrying Destroyers, for example, but other amphibious ships as well, whether those ships are American, Japanese, or those of our allies.

Greater Deterrence

The V-22 will also fulfill its main role — to provide the Japanese ground forces with a long-range combat assault and resupply platform. These will support the amphibious and rapid reaction operations of a dispersed force. 

The ability to disperse forces is foundational to our countries' efforts to deter China. Keeping those dispersed forces resupplied will be absolutely critical to how the Japan Ministry of Defense plans and operates in the western Pacific.

In peacetime, the Osprey continues to provide an unparalleled ability to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The combination of being runway independent with its unmatched speed and range can truly make a life-or-death difference.

With the facts around the Osprey's safety record and capabilities fully appreciated, the arrival of the final V-22 Osprey for the JGSDF should be celebrated. It marks a true accomplishment for Japan's military capabilities and strengthens our nations' collective deterrence against aggression.

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Author: Robert D Eldridge, PhD

Dr Eldridge is a former political advisor to the US Marine Corps in Japan, author of numerous books on Japanese political and diplomatic history, and a 2024 Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fellow at Tamkang University.