The Defense Agency has canceled test flights for its newly developed antisubmarine patrol helicopter SH60JKai after multiple cracks were found in its rotary wings, agency sources said Saturday.
The new chopper was scheduled to replace the current SH60J helicopter, which will be decommissioned from fiscal 2004, the sources said.
The multiple cracks were found in blades on the prototype helicopter's rotary wings during strength tests by the agency's Technical Research and Development Institute between January and April, the sources said.
The agency canceled the test flights from July and is investigating the defects, the sources said, adding that the agency is asking for appropriations for three SH60J helicopters for the next fiscal year, which begins in April, instead of for the SH60JKai choppers.
The Tokyo Shimbun reported in its Saturday morning editions that Japan has spent 40 billion yen since fiscal 1997 on research and development for the new helicopter.
The SH60JKai, an advanced version of the SH60J chopper, features the airframe of the U.S. Navy's SH60H and an antisubmarine patrol system developed by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the paper reported.
Production of the new helicopter was slated to begin at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. from next fiscal year.