The 4.23 Navy Day is coming soon, and in fact, the relevant ship open day activities have begun, and many people have boarded the ship to visit and feel the country's increasingly strong national defense strength. And the ships named after the city also returned to their hometowns, and the festive atmosphere of the whole Navy Day gradually entered a climax. Recently, however, Navy Day may have become a double blessing, because Japan has sent a "blessing", which is still a big gift.
According to Japanese media reports, two SH-60K helicopters of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were destroyed in the waters east of the Izu Islands, and the flight recorder has been found so far, and it is currently preliminarily determined that the two helicopters collided. So far, one person has been killed and seven people are missing, and the Self-Defense Forces have suspended the use of the same type of aircraft, and have dispatched 12 ships and seven aircraft to search the area where the incident occurred.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said that the two Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopters lost contact at around 22:30 and 23:00 local time on the 20th. The first helicopter to lose contact once sent an emergency signal, and both helicopters are SH-60K "Sea Hawks", the most advanced anti-submarine helicopters currently equipped by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. At the time of the incident, two helicopters were on a training mission.
It can be said that the collision of these two anti-submarine planes of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces is really a great gift to us, and it is still two copies at a time, adding more joy to our already happy Navy Day. This time, Lao Tie did not brush rockets, but directly sent two helicopters, which was really a waste of money. Of course, Japan still has a total of 75 SH-60Ks of the same type, and this time there are 2 less, which is still not enough, and I hope that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will continue to work hard in the future to continue to reduce the number.
In fact, the collision of the SH-60K has a lot to do with anti-submarine warfare, this type of helicopter is a part of Japan's huge anti-submarine warfare equipment, in addition to including 35 Kawasaki Heavy Industries P-1 fixed-wing anti-submarine aircraft, 40 American-made P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, 75 SH-60K anti-submarine helicopters, 20 SH-60J anti-submarine helicopters, 12 UH-60J helicopters, 14 MCH-101 minesweeper helicopters, 6 C-130R transport aircraft, 9 US-2 seaplanes.
These combat planes are stationed in Japan's major air groups according to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and the SH-60K helicopters that occurred this time should be the 22nd Air Group stationed in Omura and the 21st Air Group in Guanshan, and judging from the starting position, it should be the random 21st Air Group. In fact, it is not difficult to see that Japan's maritime antisubmarine strength is very strong, and all of them are advanced antisubmarine aircraft made in the United States, and this is also the result of the United States' emphasis on cultivating Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and making it specifically responsible for antisubmarine and air defense. So the question is, what were the two helicopters training when they collided? It is speculated that it is very likely that they were conducting anti-submarine training.
The cause of the collision, in addition to weather factors, navigation errors of the two helicopters, mechanical failure, and it is not excluded that there was a temporary encounter with a submarine during the training, because the incident suddenly caused a panic, and the resulting collision and destruction are also possible. So whose submarine did they encounter in the western Pacific, if it was the US military's own, then there was no need to panic, everyone understands it. In this way, although Japan's anti-submarine hardware is good, the level of personnel is not high. Don't believe it, it's not a single situation.
On April 11, also at the Kadena base of the US military stationed in Japan, after the engine of a US F-22 Raptor fighter that had just landed was turned off, the landing gear failed, and a kowtow came directly, and the nose of the plane touched the ground. Also in April 2019, a Japanese F35A fighter with the number 79-8705 crashed into the sea, becoming the first F35 fighter to crash outside the United States. This at least shows that both the United States and Japan have a strong air force, but they do not necessarily have combat effectiveness. In particular, Japan's declining birthrate is becoming more and more serious, and the logistical level of US fighters is also declining, and the strength of Japan's antisubmarine forces will only continue to decline in the future.
Generally speaking, as Japan continues to break free from its shackles and is eager to send military forces overseas, it will inevitably put more pressure on Japan's military strength, and the problem may not be as simple as two helicopters. Not long ago, a drone easily parked on the deck of the "Izumo" class, and the Maritime Self-Defense Force is at this level, and it is not surprising that two helicopters collided with each other.