The United States will ship a second batch of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture late this month prior to their eventual deployment to the Futenma base in Okinawa, the Defense Ministry said Monday.
The 12 tilt-rotor aircraft, which will arrive at the Iwakuni base between July 28 and 31, are expected to be additionally deployed to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in early August after undergoing test flights and maintenance, it said.
Twelve Ospreys were deployed to Futenma last October.
The marines earlier planned to deploy 24 Ospreys at Futenma by 2014 to replace aging CH-46 helicopters. The deployment of the aircraft, which can take off and land like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane, has sparked anger among Okinawa residents due to past crashes overseas.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima told reporters in Naha on Monday that he will continue to seek the cancellation of the Osprey deployment plan.
Akira Sato, parliamentary vice defense minister, will discuss the arrival of the second batch of Ospreys in talks with Yamaguchi Gov. Shigetaro Yamamoto and Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda later in the day.