A high level defence delegation led by the Director-General of Logistics from Japan is heading to the DefExpo 2020 and the focus is to put back the US-2i amphibious aircraft back on track. Confirming this a senior officer who wished to remain anonymous said that “The delegation from Japan will be meeting top Ministry of Defence officials in an effort to get the US-2i amphibious aircraft back on the table. Also, the delegation which will be in India until February 7 will meet with top naval officials to understand other projects where the Japanese companies can participate.”
Since a couple of years the purchase of 12 ShinMaywa US-2i Amphibious and Rescue (SAR) aircraft for $1.65 billion has been put on a back burner for several reasons including the lack of funds of the customer – the Indian Navy.