The United States military has gone without an operational seaplane since the Coast Guard retired the HU-16 Albatross in 1983.
That ended a 73 year run in which amphibious aircraft handled missions ranging from search and rescue to resupply across enormous stretches of open water.
Bringing that capability back deserves serious consideration as Washington prepares for possible conflict in the Pacific.
United States Pacific Command covers more than one hundred million square miles, representing over half the planet, and most of that sprawling territory is water.
Technology has made long distance flight faster and more reliable, but geography has not changed.
Aircraft still need fuel, maintenance, cargo hubs, and places to land, just as American aviators did during World War II.
Land is therefore precious, particularly when it can support an airfield or port.
Concrete runways are useful right up until enemy missiles turn them into expensive rubble, which planners must assume could happen during the opening hours of a major conflict.
The Marines’ Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations concept and the Army’s Multi Domain Operations doctrine both envision smaller forces spread across austere locations.
Those troops will require steady logistics despite having little infrastructure for conventional cargo aircraft, large ships, or traditional ground transportation.
The Marines are buying a new medium landing ship known as the McClung Class, while the Army faces pressure to modernize its amphibious fleet.
The services are also investing in aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey and the coming MV-75, which can carry supplies farther than standard helicopters.
The Pentagon has already explored the return of the flying boat. In 2023, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected General Atomics and Aurora Flight Sciences to design the “Liberty Lifter,” a massive aircraft intended to operate primarily from water.
The proposed Liberty Lifter would have matched the C-17 cargo capacity of 170,900 pounds.
Around the same time, the Air Force was considering a C-130 floatplane that officials said could fly in 2023, but neither concept ultimately reached the water.
There is a legitimate concern that developing an entirely new seaplane could take so long that unmanned systems would overtake it.
Drones are already assuming several missions that once made amphibious aircraft indispensable, particularly surveillance and search operations over vast maritime regions.
The MQ-9B SeaGuardian can remain airborne for more than 40 hours while scanning thousands of square miles. It can help locate downed aviators or sailors, after which an unmanned surface vessel could be sent to assist with the rescue.
That concept has already moved beyond the drawing board. In June, an unmanned vessel participated in the response after an Apache went down while patrolling near Oman, demonstrating how machines can be sent into danger without risking another crew.
Unmanned aircraft and vessels are also being developed for resupply, medical evacuation, and submarine hunting.
Those are all missions associated with modern seaplanes, but many drone programs remain immature and cannot yet deliver the complete flexibility of a crewed amphibious aircraft.
The answer is not another bloated development marathon that burns years and mountains of taxpayer cash.
America should instead examine purchasing Japan’s proven US-2, an aircraft already operating in the Pacific and supported by a trusted ally.
Built by ShinMaywa Industries, the US-2 traces its design heritage to the Albatross once flown by the Coast Guard. It has a range of about 2,900 miles, reaches roughly 330 miles per hour, climbs to 30,000 feet, and needs only about 900 feet of water for takeoff.
The aircraft requires about 1,100 feet to land and can operate in waves reaching 10 feet.
Its fifth engine powers a compressor that blows air over the control surfaces, allowing the US-2 to remain controllable at speeds as low as 55 miles per hour.
Most importantly, Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force already flies the aircraft, and American service members have trained beside it.
Japan is also opening more of its military industry to exports, creating an opportunity for practical cooperation instead of another endless Washington science project.
A small American US-2 fleet would not replace cargo aircraft, ships, helicopters, or drones.
It would give commanders another flexible tool for rescue, limited resupply, medical evacuation, and operations from areas where intact runways may be unavailable.
The Pacific presents brutal distances, scarce infrastructure, and an enemy expected to target major logistics hubs immediately.
Buying a proven seaplane from Japan could fill a real operational gap now, before America discovers the hard way that water is everywhere and runways are not.
