Subaru completes maiden flight of first UH-2 for Japanese military
The Subaru Corporation, Japan, has completed the maiden flight of a new UH-2 multi-role helicopter for delivery to the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF)
The twin-engine helicopter completed a 30-minute hovering flight on 19 May from Subaru’s site in Utsunomiya City near Tokyo, piloted by a company test pilot. In a statement, the company said that the helicopter will be delivered to JGSDF after the completion of a series of flight tests.
The aircraft is part of a batch of six UH-2 helicopters worth a combined ¥14.3 billion ordered by the government’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) on behalf the Ministry of Defence JGSDF in March 2020. The initial batch is scheduled for delivery by January 2023.
A subsequent batch of seven helicopters is scheduled for delivery during the financial year beginning April 2024, and 13 more during the 2025 financial year.
The UH-2 is based on the 412EPX platform
The UH-2 is based on the Subaru Bell 412EPX platform designed in collaboration with Bell Textron. Development of the first UH-2 prototype beginning in 2015. A prototype UH-2 was delivered to the Japanese Ministry of Defense in February 2019.
The helicopter features a Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 Twin-Pac turboshaft engine and an integrated glass cockpit, as well as a four-bladed main rotor. The UH-2 is intended to supersede the UH-1J two-bladed helicopter type and is designed to offer greater transport loads and improved flight speeds and range compared with its predecessor.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.