GSDF Osprey begins deployment at Kisarazu, Chiba Flight over the Tokyo metropolitan area is assumed 17:49, July 10
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The GSDF's new transport aircraft, Osprey, arrived on the afternoon of the 10th and the first one arrived at Kisarazu Garrison in Chiba Prefecture, and provisional deployment began. The Ministry of Defense is aiming for deployment at Saga Airport in Saga Prefecture as originally planned, but at this point in time there is no forecast.
Aim to deploy at Saga Airport
The Ministry of Defense plans to deploy 17 new aircraft of the Ground Self-Defense Force, Osprey, at Saga Airport, but due to lack of discussions with the local community, it will temporarily deploy them at the Kisarazu Garrison. I will.
Of these, the first two were unloaded at the US Army Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi prefecture this May, and have been maintained.
Then, on the 10th, one of them flew toward the Kisarazu Garrison, and it arrived at about 4 pm, and arrived and provisional deployment began. Initially, I was planning to fly on 6th of this month, but due to bad weather, the flight was postponed and the deployment was delayed 4 days.
According to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the aircraft will be inspected in detail over the next month or so, and then the operation of the engine will be checked on the ground. In addition, according to the Ministry of Defense, it will start flying as early as next month, but considering that there are persistent concerns about safety etc. locally, it is assumed that it will be expanded gradually from basic training within the garrison. It means that
The provisional deployment target is set to be within 5 years, and we are aiming to deploy it at Saga Airport as originally planned, but it is necessary to negotiate with the landowner and the construction period for subsequent facilities has not been fixed. , At this moment, the outlook for the time is not clear.
More cases are expected to fly over the Tokyo metropolitan area
When the Osprey, provisionally deployed at the Kisarazu Garrison, begins full-scale training, it is expected to fly over the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Kanto region.
Osprey training includes
▼ hovering and takeoff and landing training in and around the garrison, and
▼ troop training to be deployed in practice areas both inside and outside the prefecture.
The main destinations of the unit training are:
▼Narashino Exercise Area in Chiba Prefecture , ▼Exercise Area in the
Fuji area that spans Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures,
▼Somahara Exercise Area in Gunma Prefecture , and ▼
Sekiyama Exercise Area in Niigata Prefecture Are listed.
Of these, the flight route to the Gen Soma training grounds of the Gunma Prefecture,
▼ routes and to north from Edogawa to fly along the Tokyo Bay along the Arakawa, there is a route to north via the Yokohama from ▼ Tokyo Bay,
the capital It is supposed to fly over the area.
In addition, the U.S. military plans to increase the number of Osprey deployed at Yokota base in Tokyo from the current 5 aircraft to 10 aircraft by 4 years after Reiwa 6 years. It is assumed that there will be more cases of Osprey flying.
Ministry of Defense Consideration such as avoiding flying above the houses
The Ministry of Defense says that Osprey training will be conducted after taking safety and noise into consideration, such as avoiding flying above the houses.
Of these, when taking off and landing at the garrison during training, as a general rule, in order to reduce the effects of noise on houses and schools, we will fly on a route centered on the sea of Tokyo Bay on the west side of the garrison.
For nighttime flight training, we will avoid flying above residential areas in consideration of noise effects.
It means that training for flying at a particularly low altitude is supposed to be carried out in a training area in the central and southern part of Chiba Prefecture, where there is no housing.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Defense is seeking understanding about such training, as it may be unavoidable to fly over a residential area in order to ensure weather conditions and safety.
Local residents various voices
Among the exercise areas where the flight of Osprey is supposed, the residents around the exercise areas in the area where the houses are densely populated have heard various voices.
A woman in her 70s in Yachiyo City said, “I'm really disgusted to hear that the Osprey will fly further because it's already so noisy. I'm also worried about the safety of the Osprey, as various parts are falling. I think there should be no explanation, and I should explain it properly."
In addition, a man in his 30s in Yachiyo City said, "I'm worried about my safety and I'm scared."
On the other hand, a man in his 60s from Narashino City said, “I have lived about 100 meters from the training field for 20 years, but I think that noise problems are unavoidable. The country decides the deployment of Osprey etc. That said, even if we don't want to deploy Osprey in Chiba, it would be impossible to deploy it in a different location, so I think we have to cooperate in the area."
Mayor Kisarazu "Collaboration with Ministry of Defense, etc. For citizens to understand"
After the arrival of Osprey, Yoshikuni Watanabe, mayor of Kisarazu City, who was watching the landing at the Kisarazu garrison, said in response to the reporters, ``The first Osprey will land, and it will be within 5 years from today. Provisional deployment will begin. We will work with the Ministry of Defense and others to eliminate public anxiety while giving first priority to safety and security, and we would like the citizens to understand it."
GSDF executive “Need to provide information carefully”
Mr. Noboru Yamaguchi, a former executive officer of the Ground Self-Defense Force and vice president of an international university, pointed out that Osprey has a longer cruising range than conventional helicopters and is likely to fly and train all over the country based on the Kisarazu garrison. I will. On top of that, the Ministry of Defense needs to carefully provide information on training to local governments and residents around the training ground. Mr. Yamaguchi said, "In the Tokyo metropolitan area, it is natural for residents to worry because the Narashino exercise area is close to residential areas and has a high population density. Since the population in the Kanto suburbs is very large, I will carefully explain it repeatedly. I think it will be exhausted."