{"id":50738,"date":"2023-03-09T12:36:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T11:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=50738"},"modified":"2025-03-09T00:04:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T23:04:55","slug":"the-spectacular-take-off-at-sea-of-a-four-engine-shinmaywa-us-2-seaplane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2023\/03\/09\/the-spectacular-take-off-at-sea-of-a-four-engine-shinmaywa-us-2-seaplane\/","title":{"rendered":"The spectacular take-off at sea of a four-engine ShinMaywa US-2 seaplane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japan is an island country. Its territory is made up of thousands of islands (more than 14,000 according to a recent count), and that presents a challenge for its naval force.<\/p>\n

Japan imitates the Super Hornet from 'Top Gun Maverick' with one of its F-15 Eagle fighters<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe impressive formation of Japanese F-35 fighters at the Misawa Airshow<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force<\/strong> does not have the enormous size of the former Imperial Japanese Navy, but it does have some very remarkable resources and a very outstanding air-naval force. Among its dozens of fixed-wing aircraft are eight ShinMaywa US-2 four-engine flying boats<\/strong>, purchased to replace the aging fleet of Shin Meiwa US-1A flying boats.<\/p>\n

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A ShinMaywa US-2 taking off at sea (Photo: ShinMaywa<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The main mission of these planes is search and rescue<\/strong>, but they are also used for transportation. ShinMaywa is also planning to build a civilian version for firefighting. The great advantage of these planes is that they do not need landing strips on the mainland<\/strong>, since they can land and take off at sea, an ideal feature for a country like Japan.<\/p>\n

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The ShinMaywa US-2 is also capable of operating from mainland bases (Photo: ShinMaywa<\/a>).<\/div>\n

One of the bases from which the US-2s operate is the Chichi Jima Naval Base<\/strong>, in the Ogasawara Islands, in southwestern Japan. This base, like the Military Aerodrome of the Spanish Air Force in Pollensa (Palma de Mallorca) is prepared to house seaplanes, with a small runway and a ramp for US-2s to access the sea.<\/strong> strong> In this video posted by Keroza Emon<\/a> you can see the complete takeoff sequence, from when the plane leaves the platform of the Chichi Jima Naval Base until it rises from the waves:<\/p>\n