By outdoor-nature-child.com On October 23, around 11:20 AM local time, a V-22 Osprey transport aircraft belonging to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force made an emergency landing at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kanoya Air Base. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries.
According to officials from the Kisarazu base, the emergency landing was prompted by a warning light indicating a fault in the engine oil pressure system, leading to precautions being taken to avoid accidents.
This particular Osprey was involved in the U.S.-Japan joint exercise, “Keen Sword,” having taken off earlier that day at around 8:25 AM from the Kumamoto-based JGSDF’s Takeyubara Camp. The flight had a total of six people onboard, including the pilot.
In a statement, Lieutenant General Toshihiko Hirose, the commander of the Kisarazu base, expressed his apologies for any concerns caused to the local community, emphasizing, “We will do our utmost to ensure flight safety.”
Additionally, reports note that the U.S. military operates the Marine Corps variant of the MV-22 Osprey at the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, while the Air Force variant, the CV-22, is stationed at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
Notably, in November 2023, another Osprey from the Yokota base tragically crashed while en route from Iwakuni Air Base to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, resulting in the deaths of eight U.S. Air Force Special Operations personnel. Following this incident, the U.S. military announced a temporary grounding of all V-22 Ospreys in December. However, on March 14, 2024, operations resumed for the Ospreys at the U.S. military’s Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.