Japan has declared its intention to retire its attack and observation helicopters in favour of unmanned systems, according to its released five-year defence buildup plans.
The document first published in December in Japanese and translated in mid-January said that the fleet will be “obsolete” and will be replaced by “attack/utility”, “miniature attack” and “surveillance” unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
It did not provide further details of the unmanned aircraft systems that will replace the helicopters, although a Japanese-language summary showed graphical representations of what appears to be loitering munitions and medium-altitude long endurance UAS as replacements.
It also added that existing Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) helicopters will be armed to maintain a minimum armed helicopter capability.
Japan currently operates around 50 Bell AH-1 Cobra and 12 Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters alongside 37 Kawasaki OH-1 observation helicopters. It had originally announced plans to acquire a new attack helicopter to replace its AH-1s, although that was subsequently cancelled.
The elimination of the JGSDF’s attack and observation helicopters will see a reduction of personnel requirements by around 1,000 and will take place alongside a reorganisation of the JGSDF’s aviation component.
This will see the JGSDF’s air assets assigned to its regional army groups instead of the current structure, which attaches aviation squadrons at the divisional and brigade level. The document did note that there will be some exceptions, although it did not specify what these were.
The JGSDF currently operates Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavylift helicopters, Fuji UH-1 utility and Sikorsky UH-60 transport helicopters. Japan is introducing the Subaru UH-2 utility helicopter to replace its UH-1s, with plans to procure 77 between now and 2027. The UH-2 is based on the Bell 412EPI design.
Japan’s announcement is significant as the viability of attack helicopters in contested front line airspace had been in doubt, particularly in the face of attack helicopter losses over Ukraine, with Russia losing several Mi-24, Mi-28, Mi-35M and Ka-52 attack helicopters while Ukraine has also lost several of the former type to enemy action.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) will also look at the possibility of reducing the number of Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft it is planning to acquire in the coming years in favour of an unmanned wide-area maritime surveillance capability.
Japan has ramped up its defense spending to record levels in recent years in response to what it sees as increased threats from China and North Korea, and has recently committed to raising its defense budget to 2 per cent of its gross domestic product, up from the current level of just over 1 per cent.