ShinMaywa US-2

what is it?

The ShinMaywa US-2 is a large Japanese short takeoff and landing turboprop amphibious aircraft that employs boundary layer control technology for enhanced STOL and stall suppression performance. Manufactured by seaplane specialist ShinMaywa (formerly Shin Meiwa), it was developed from the earlier Shin Meiwa US-1A seaplane, which was introduced in the 1970s. The ShinMaywa US-2 was developed on behalf of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as a 'like-for-like' replacement for its aging US-1A fleet.

🔎How to recognise it: 5 turboprops · 33.2 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 560 km/htop speed
• range 4,700 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 20passengers
• size 47.7 tmax take-off weight
• built 8made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 23 years ago, in 2003.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 33.2 m: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 8 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 4,700 km: 26× Amsterdam to Brussels.

turboprop: A jet-style turbine turning a propeller: efficient on short hops.

spec sheet

first flight

2003-12-18

introduced

2007

status

in production

number built

8

role

air-sea rescue amphibian

makers

ShinMaywa

engines

5× Rolls-Royce AE 2100J / LHTEC T800

crew

11

passengers

20

length

33.5 m

wingspan

33.2 m

height

9.8 m

max take-off weight

47.7 t

top speed

560 km/h

cruise speed

480 km/h

range

4,700 km

ceiling

7,195 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.