U.S., Japanese Defense Officials to Meet to Discuss Osprey Issues

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – Senior Defense Department officials will brief a Japanese delegation at the Pentagon tomorrow on recent incidents involving U.S. MV-22 and CV-22 Osprey aircraft variants, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

“This is a tangible demonstration of how seriously the Department of Defense takes the issue and inquiries made by the government of Japan on this matter,” Little said.

He told reporters the briefing will be led by senior DOD military and civilian officials, including Mark W. Lippert, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs. It follows what Little described as concerns about the aircraft by the governor of Okinawa.  DOD is planning to deploy the MV-22 to the Asia-Pacific region.

The aircraft operates with the speed and range of a turboprop, the maneuverability of a helicopter and the ability to carry 24 Marine combat troops. It travels twice as fast and five times farther than previous helicopters.

The Air Force CV-22 Osprey is a special operations variant of the aircraft. The tilt-rotor aircraft can fly like an airplane and land like a helicopter.

An MV-22 Osprey crashed April 22 in a Moroccan military training area southwest of Agadir, Morocco, while participating in the bilateral Exercise African Lion. A CV-22 Osprey crashed June 13 during a training mission north of Navarre, Fla., injuring five crew members.

“[The briefing] will provide information surrounding the June 13 mishap of an Air Force CV-22 in Florida, as well as a status update on the investigation process, which the department is committed to completing in a comprehensive and timely manner,” Little said, adding that officials from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will participate in the briefing.

The briefing also will summarize the results of the initial investigation into the April MV-22 crash. The initial investigation determined the incident was not caused by mechanical failure, Little said.

Little emphasized the Osprey’s safety record and reliability.

“The Osprey is a highly capable aircraft with an excellent operational safety record, and over 140,000 flight hours logged, about one-third of which were flown in the last two years,” he said. “The United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps are continuing flight operations with the CV-22 and MV-22 fleet around the world. “[This includes] transporting American troops in the United States and in combat operations in Afghanistan.”