US Ospreys get an image makeover with quake relief efforts
IWAKUNI (Japan) — The US military’s MV-22 Osprey aircraft has been a lightning rod for opposition to US bases in Japan since 24 of them were deployed on the southern island of Okinawa in 2014.
By sending eight of the tilt-rotor Ospreys to help with relief efforts for survivors of recent earthquakes on Kyushu island, both US and Japanese military planners have been able to showcase an aircraft they see as necessary for Japan’s defence.
When an Osprey set down last week on a ground in Hakusui village on Kyushu, the first person out was a US Marine Corps photographer taking pictures of Japanese troops unloading supplies. Within hours, the pictures were on social media.
Opposition to US bases in Japan has simmered for years, especially on Okinawa where many people believe the MV-22, which can hover like a helicopter and fly as a fixed wing craft, is prone to crashing.
24 units of the unique aircraft were deployed in Okinawa island
They say the US military’s deployment of the Osprey on Okinawa shows its disregard for their feelings. The US military insists the Osprey is safe but in 2012 it nevertheless agreed to curb flights over heavily populated areas.
Since earthquakes killed about 50 people on Kyushu this month, the aircraft has been seen in a new light, thanks in large part to pictures of it ferrying blankets, food and water to quake survivors, posted on the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.
“We have had no negative reaction,” said Colonel Romin Dasmalchi, commander of the unit, which is based in Okinawa. Visits to the unit’s social media sites surged by as much as 10 times after it began flying relief supplies, a spokesman for the US Marine Corps said.
Eight Osprey’s were deployed for the relief effort from Okinawa to a USMC air station at Iwakuni near Hiroshima because “of the speed and efficiency of the airframe to get into those places where a traditional aircraft could not land”, he said.
By the time the US military’s relief mission ended on Sunday, its posts had earned more than 230,000 hits compared with a normal rate of between 10,000 to 50,000.
While the publicity is unlikely to placate opponents of US bases, it should improve the Osprey’s image.
The deployment has also given the Japanese military a chance to see how the Osprey fits with its kit.