10 SDF, U.S. Ospreys to Take Part in Drills in Japan after Accident

   Tokyo, June 25 (Jiji Press)--Some 10 Ospreys of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps will participate in one of the biggest joint drills amid lingering concerns over the tiltrotor aircraft's safety, it has been learned.
   According to Japanese Defense Ministry officials and other sources, around eight Marine Corps and two GSDF Ospreys are scheduled to take part in the Resolute Dragon 24 exercise, set to be held from July 28 in the country's southwestern region of Kyushu and southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
   Both Japanese and U.S. Ospreys were grounded after a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed off Yakushima Island in Kagoshima, a Kyushu prefecture, in November last year, killing all eight people on board.
   Their flights have been resumed in stages since the suspension was lifted in March. However, the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command chief warned in a congressional testimony that the Osprey accident risk has not been eliminated.
   It has been known that Ospreys have a unique "hard clutch engagement" problem that can damage the drive system. The problem caused a crash in 2022 that killed five crew members.

(2024/06/25-19:57)

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