Three U.S. Air Force CV-22 Ospreys land at Kadena Air Base in first trip to Okinawa, two planes must make emergency landing at Amami Airport
CV-22 Ospreys landing at Kadena Air Base. Around 2:51 p.m. June 4
June 4, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo Digital Edition
Three U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey transport aircraft stationed at Yokota Air Base landed one after the other at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa in the afternoon June 4. This is the first time that the CV-22 has come to Okinawa.
The first CV-22 landed at 2:41 p.m., the second 10 minutes later, and the third at around 3:30 p.m.
That same morning, five CV-22 aircraft departed from Yokota Air Base, however only three were confirmed to have landed at Kadena. At around 3:00 p.m. two Ospreys that appeared to belong to the U.S. military made emergency landings at Amami Airport in Kagoshima. They appear to be the two remaining aircraft seen departing from Yokota earlier that day.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera confirmed at a press conference in the afternoon June 4 that one of the CV-22s that landed at Amami Airport did so after experiencing trouble in transit. They are still trying to confirm more details. Onodera explained that the emergency landing at Amami “did not cause” and delays or damage to civilian aircraft, and that, “We have dispatched Ministry of Defense employees to the airport to gather information.”
In Chatan, and e-mail was sent by the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) around 2:50 p.m., after the first Osprey had landed. The message explained, “We are confirming that an Osprey landed at Kadena Air Base at around 2:40 p.m. They are only making a stop on route to another destination.”
It is unclear how many aircraft will arrive in total, or how long they will be stationed at Kadena. Okinawa City and the town of Kadena were also notified by the ODB at the same time.
The five CV-22 aircraft are planned to be formally deployed at Yokota Air Base this summer.
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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