Fuji Heavy Industries picked to develop new military helicopter

TOKYO, July 21 (UPI) -- Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. has been chosen by Japan's Ministry of Defense as the key developer of a next-generation multi-purpose military helicopter.

According to the Japan Times, Fuji Heavy Industries will first develop a commercial helicopter with the ministry and Bell Helicopter of the United States, which will then be customized to meet the needs of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.

It is believed this commercial-to-military approach will help cut development costs.

The project for the UH-X helicopter will begin this fiscal year, which ends March 31.

The ministry plans to introduce about 150 UH-X helicopters into service in 20 years, beginning in fiscal 2021, the newspaper reported.

The UH-X will be used for transporting personnel and cargo and will replace UH-1J helicopters now in use.

The UH-X development project had originally been won by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The Ministry of Defense restarted the selection process, however, because of a bid-rigging scandal involving two ministry officials and Kawasaki.

It was not immediately clear in the Japan Times report if the alleged bid-rigging was directly related to the UH-X program.