Overview

• Japan has suspended its Osprey flights and requested the U.S. military to ground all Ospreys operating in Japan following a fatal crash of a U.S. Air Force Osprey during a training mission.
• At least one person was killed and seven others are still missing after the crash off southern Japan.
• The U.S. Osprey crashed off Japan’s southern coast, the cause of the crash and the status of the seven others on board are not immediately known.
• The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like an airplane, during flight.
• Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, rekindling safety concerns and controversy over their deployment in Japan.