Japan Grounds V-22 Osprey Fleet After Exercise Incident | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Tue, Nov 05, 2024

Japan Grounds V-22 Osprey Fleet After Exercise Incident

Further Damages Safety Reputation of the Controversial Machine

The Japanese military has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft after a takeoff mishap. The aircraft involved was participating in a joint exercise with the US, titled Keen Sword, and carrying 16 service members.

The V-22 was on Yonaguni island, around 62 miles east of Taiwan, for Keen Sword. According to Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF), the Osprey had just lifted off when it “became unstable” and began to tilt. The “left wing, the lower part of the aircraft came into contact with the ground and part of the aircraft was damaged, so the flight was aborted.”

No injuries were reported, though the aircraft sustained minor damage. Japan’s Osprey fleet will now remain grounded until an investigation is complete. The Pentagon's V-22 joint program office will be supporting the probe.

The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor military transport and cargo aircraft. Depending on its rotor configuration, the aircraft has both vertical and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. Japan currently has just over a dozen Ospreys in service.

The aircraft has only been operational since 2007. Despite it being a relatively new program, the US military already operates around 400 V-22s across the Marines, Air Force, and Navy.

The Osprey already has a somewhat questionable safety reputation. Eleven Ospreys have crashed since 1992, leading to 61 total fatalities.

Last November, a US Air Force V-22 crashed off the coast of Japan and killed eight Airmen. The investigation revealed a “catastrophic failure” within one of the gearboxes, leading to an “unrecoverable” loss of control prior to landing. The entire Osprey fleet was grounded for a month after the accident.

'We believe there is no safety problem with Ospreys, although ensuring flight safety is a prerequisite for aircraft operations,' commented Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani.

FMI: www.marines.mil

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC