The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force resumed Osprey flights at a military base in Chiba Prefecture on the 21st, which had been suspended following the crash of a U.S. military aircraft last November.
For the time being, basic training will be carried out near the military base or at sea.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has provisionally deployed 14 Osprey transport aircraft to the Kisarazu Garrison in Chiba Prefecture, but in November last year, a US military Osprey crashed off the coast of Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture, killing eight crew members. As a result, I have postponed my flight.
After the U.S. military lifted the suspension of flights on March 8th after identifying the cause of the accident, the Ground Self-Defense Force resumed flights from the 21st after maintaining the aircraft and training its personnel. I did.
Three Ospreys were lined up on the tarmac at Kisarazu Garrison, and one of them rotated its propeller and conducted a final inspection of the aircraft just after 11:00 a.m., and then took off vertically just before 11:40. It remained in the sky for several minutes, and then was seen slowly flying inside the camp.
For the time being, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force plans to conduct basic training on flight routes set around military bases and at sea, before moving on to more advanced training and missions.
The local city of Kisarazu says it received an explanation of safety measures from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force on March 18, and has allowed the aircraft to resume operations, and is requesting that safe flights be ensured.