NAVAIR Maritime Surveillance Aircraft program office personnel joined with other government agencies on March 2-4, for a joint working group meeting with representatives of the Japanese government here.

U.S. agencies included in the talks were the Navy International Programs Office, the American Embassy Japan (Mutual Defense Assistance Office). Visiting Japanese agencies represented were the Japan Defense Agency, Bureau of Finance and Equipment, Technical Research and Development Institute, and the Japanese Maritime Staff Office.

The MSA program office goal for the meetings with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force was to discuss future interoperability between the U.S. Navy’s replacement for the P-3C, the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, and the JMSDF equivalent aircraft.

Like the U.S. Navy, Japan is in the process of replacing their fleet of P-3 aircraft. These joint meetings were the seventh in a series aimed at exploring the possibilities of mutual development of mission systems that will ensure continued interoperability between the U.S. Navy and Japanese MSA.

For more information contact the MSA program public affairs office at (301) 342-0207, or email [email protected].