During the visit to Tokyo by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the two countries are set firm up plans for Delhi to purchase the US-2, a domestically-developed aircraft used by Japan’s armed forces.   US-2 amphibian (Source: naval-technology.com)The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft manufactured by Japan-based ShinMaywa Industries. Designed for air-sea rescue work, the US-2 is operated by the 31st Fleet Air Wing of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force of Japan’s Ministry of Defence. Including its predecessor the US-1, STOL amphibians have been dispatched over 900 times to rescue victims of maritime accidents.The US-2 is scheduled to replace the older ShinMaywa US-1. "If the US-2 is exported to India for civilian use, that would be the first case of exports of Japanese-developed weaponry used by the defence ministry for civilian application," a trade ministry official in charge of arms sales told AFP. Experts say the aircraft must be classed for civilian use if it is to comply with Japan’s 1967 self-imposed ban on arms exports, part of the post-World War II anti-militarist drive./.CPV