The U.S. Navy has apparently begun deploying its variant of the Osprey aircraft in a western Japan city, a source close to the matter said Friday.
The Iwakuni local government in Yamaguchi Prefecture confirmed two Ospreys arrived at the U.S. military base in the city at around 11 a.m. on Thursday and 3:40 p.m. on Friday, respectively, the source said, adding they are believed to be two of the CMV-22s planned to be stationed there by the end of this year.
It is the first Osprey deployment in Japan by the U.S. Navy. MV-22s, the variant used by the Marine Corps, are deployed at the Futenma air station in Okinawa and CV-22s, used by the U.S. Air Force, operate from the Yokota base in the western suburbs of Tokyo.
The CMV-22s will transport personnel and cargo for the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington that is set to replace the Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka near Tokyo by year-end.
In August, Yamaguchi Gov Tsugumasa Muraoka and local mayors said they would accept the Osprey deployment after the Japanese government informed them of the plan the previous month.
Ospreys, tilt-rotor aircraft that are capable of taking off and landing like helicopters and cruising like planes, have a history of accidents both in Japan and abroad.
