The crash earlier this week of a U.S. Air Force CV-22B Osprey — the first fatal accident involving the tilt-rotor aircraft in Japan — has rekindled safety concerns, prompting Tokyo to ground its own Osprey fleet and ask the U.S. to do the same.
Citing anxiety among the public, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara had asked the commander of U.S. Forces Japan to suspend all non-emergency Osprey flights over its territory until the safety of the aircraft type could be confirmed. Despite the request, the Pentagon seems to have only halted operations of the Osprey variant involved in the crash, while other models continued to fly in Japan as of Friday, Kyodo reported, citing the Defense Ministry.
The lack of clarity regarding the Osprey grounding has prompted concerns in Tokyo, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno saying that flights were being carried out “without sufficient explanation of flight safety confirmation.” He also called the incident "deeply regrettable" as it caused "great anxiety to people" in the region where it happened.
Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday the U.S. military was investigating the cause of the crash while emphasizing that the Defense Department’s immediate focus was on finding the missing crew members as round-the-clock search-and-rescue operations, also involving the Japan Coast Guard and Self-Defense Forces personnel, continued.
The Osprey crashed Wednesday into waters off Yakushima island in Kagoshima Prefecture. At least one crew member has been confirmed dead while the other seven remain missing. More than 50 U.S. military personnel have been killed in Osprey incidents around the world over the past three decades, but this is the first such fatal crash in Japan.
That said, other incidents involving Ospreys in Japan have created fears among the public. In 2016, just four years after the type began operations in the country, a Marine Corps MV-22 went down off Nago, Okinawa Prefecture. This year alone, Ospreys have made several emergency landings at Japanese civilian airports.
Washington has repeatedly vowed to implement preventive measures and even grounded an undisclosed number of Ospreys earlier this year to replace aging components.
The unique aircraft has had its share of incidents, but still has a relatively safe record compared to other military aircraft. However, experts fear the latest crash and the initial confusion regarding the grounding have only exacerbated concerns.
What is an Osprey?
The Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft with a unique design and capabilities. It combines the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range fuel efficiency and speed characteristics of a turboprop plane.
Different variants of the Osprey are in service, including the CV-22B with the U.S. Air Force, the CMV-22B operated by the U.S. Navy, and the MV-22 Block C used by the Ground Self-Defense Force.
However, the U.S. Marine Corps, which fields almost 300 units of the MV-22 variant, is the largest user by far.
The aircraft can perform several roles, including combat, combat support and special operation missions such as hostage rescue and counter-insurgency.
“Ospreys are unique in that they give the operators a longer range, greater maneuverability, and faster response time than a helicopter can provide, but can operate from a much smaller landing field than that required for a fixed-wing aircraft,” said former U.S Navy Capt. Carl Schuster.
These factors played an important role in Tokyo's decision to buy 17 of these aircraft — 14 of which have been delivered — as it reinforces capabilities to defend the country’s remote southwestern islands amid tensions with China. “Given the number of small islands Japan has to protect, something like an Osprey makes sense,” Schuster said. But some now fear the latest crash may sour public sentiment over the GSDF’s planned relocation of the Ospreys from Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture to Saga Prefecture.
Ospreys, which can carry up to 24 troops plus flight crew, or 9,000 kilograms of internal cargo, have been deployed in transportation and medevac operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Kuwait.
Are the safety concerns justified?
The Osprey has long been at the leading edge of aviation technology as there is no other aircraft like it in military service. However, this uniqueness has also meant there is a learning curve for pilots.
The aircraft has had its share of detractors and negative media coverage from the onset, not only because of its high costs and long development time, but also due to a series of crashes.
During its initial development, the type had four crashes resulting in almost 30 deaths. Since entering operational service in 2007 there have been an additional 11 crashes and at least 24 deaths. In fact, Wednesday’s incident marked the fourth fatal crash involving Ospreys in less than two years.
A tragic factor in Osprey mishaps, and arguably one of the reasons critics have dubbed it the “widowmaker,” is that they often result in a higher death toll given the type’s utilitarian role as a troop transport aircraft. While other aircraft may crash more often, they typically result in fewer casualties.
Despite these setbacks, there are many who argue the Osprey has proven itself to be safe and reliable.
In an email to Marine Corps Times last year, Maj. Jorge Hernandez, a spokesman for Marine aviation, said the type had flown more than 420,000 flight hours over the past decade alone.
“The 10-year average mishap rate for MV-22s is 3.16 per 100,000 flight hours,” he was quoted as saying, a rate lower than the AV-8 Harrier jet, variants of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the F-35B fighter jet and the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter. Hernandez also said the Osprey flies nearly double the hours of the Marines' other rotary wing platforms.
So while the Osprey has a mixed track record, it remains relatively safe compared to other military aircraft.
Why do these incidents generate so much attention in Japan?
Experts point to several reasons for Japan’s particular sensitivity to U.S. military crashes, one of which is the country’s focus on safety amid a long list of safety incidents related to U.S. military aircraft in the country. These include a helicopter that crashed and burned at the campus of Okinawa International University in 2004 and the window of another helicopter that fell onto the grounds of an elementary school in Okinawa in 2017.
Another important factor is that critics of the U.S. military presence in the country, particularly those in areas hosting facilities, want to draw attention to these safety issues.
“Critics see this as an accident-prone aircraft, and when they were deployed in Okinawa in 2012, many locals saw the development as one that imposed yet another burden on the prefecture that hosts 70% of all U.S. bases in the country,” said Naoko Aoki, an associate political scientist at the Rand Corp.
Mark Cogan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Kansai Gaidai University, said that, for some, the Osprey has become synonymous with public unease over the American military presence in Japan.
However, the issue goes well beyond the Osprey, as there are also other concerns about military aircraft and noise pollution.
“In Okinawa, locals have repeatedly called for the suspension of night-time flight operations at both Futenma and Kadena air bases, but despite repeated complaints, and lawsuits filed with potentially massive payouts, neither the Japanese government nor the U.S military have suspended or changed any of their standard practices,” Cogan said.
What can be done to ease concerns?
Experts are divided over this point, with some arguing that Washington is already doing everything it can to ensure the safety of both American soldiers and Japanese civilians. Others say the U.S military should redouble its efforts to have transparent, open dialogue with both the Japanese government and the public.
“Japan is one of our closest allies but our cultural differences mean that an answer that addresses an American's concerns may not address a Japanese person's concerns,” said Schuster, the former U.S. Navy captain.
Transparency is key, Aoki said, because one of the problems that has always surrounded the Osprey issue in Japan is critics’ perception that decision-making over the aircraft has been opaque and that locals have not been fully informed.
While this is easier said than done, she added, it is important to explain to the Japanese public, particularly those in Okinawa, what happened and what steps are going to be taken to prevent a recurrence.
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