Cargo weighing 400 to 450 kilograms dropped from a U.S. military Osprey aircraft was blown off course and ended up in waters near a small island in Okinawa in southern Japan, a prefectural government official said Tuesday.
The MV-22 transport plane was trying to drop the cargo onto an airfield in Ie Island during a drill on Thursday, but the 1.3 square meter container was blown off course by an unexpected shift of wind, the official said, citing an explanation from the Defense Ministry’s local bureau.
U.S. forces searched the surrounding waters but the container has not been found.
Photo taken in December 2024 shows the U.S. Marine Corps Ie Shima Training Facility on Okinawa’s Ie Island. (Kyodo)
The MV-22 is the variant of the tilt-rotor aircraft used by the Marine Corps.
In Tokyo, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference that the incident is “truly regrettable,” saying that the government has urged the U.S. side to ensure safety and take preventive measures.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki told a separate news conference that it was “just one step away from a serious accident and provokes concerns among residents,” urging the U.S. military to investigate the cause.
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AloJapan.com