A deadly crash off the coast of Japan has once again sparked concerns about the safety of the US military's V-22 Osprey aircraft. With this incident marking the fourth time in two years that US-operated Ospreys were involved in fatal accidents, attention has turned to the safety measures and airworthiness of the aircraft.

Japan, the only other nation to operate Ospreys, has taken the drastic step of grounding its fleet and urging the US to do the same until the cause of the crash is determined. However, despite Japan's request, the US government has decided not to ground its own Ospreys, maintaining that the aircraft is safe.

The Pentagon has yet to determine the exact cause of the crash, but previous incidents have raised concerns about clutch issues and difficulties in maintaining the complexity of the aircraft. The V-22 Osprey, introduced in 2007, is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter with the forward flight speed of a turboprop plane.

The US military, including the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force's Special Operations Command, operates hundreds of Ospreys, as does the Japanese military. The aircraft has been extensively used in military operations, including combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

However, several accidents, some resulting in the loss of service members' lives, have raised doubts about the safety of the Osprey. In 2019, then-Colonel Dave White expressed concerns about the readiness of the CV-22 Ospreys. Earlier this year, three US Marines were killed and 20 others injured in a training exercise crash in Australia. The incident came just over a year after another Osprey crash in the California desert that claimed five lives, and a crash in Norway that killed four Marines due to pilot error.

Japan has officially requested the grounding of US Ospreys operating in its territory due to concerns about the lack of sufficient safety explanation. Despite these requests, the US government has maintained that adequate safety measures, including maintenance and safety checks, are being undertaken before every flight.

Statistics, however, reveal that the Osprey is not more dangerous to operate than other aircraft in the US military service. In a 2022 statement, a Marine aviation spokesman highlighted that the mishap rate per 100,000 flight hours for Ospreys was lower than that of several other aircraft, including the Harrier, F/A18 Super Hornet, F-35, and the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter.

As investigators continue to work on determining the cause of the recent crash in Japan, recovery efforts are also underway to retrieve the bodies from the wreckage of the CV-22 Osprey. The US government has emphasized its commitment to take necessary action if the investigation reveals any issues that require changes or additional safety measures for the Osprey.

Despite the ongoing concerns and scrutiny, the US and Japanese teams remain dedicated to maintaining the safety and operational capabilities of the V-22 Osprey.