TOKYO (Sputnik) — The aircraft left the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and are heading for the Misawa Air Base in the northern Aomori prefecture, the Kyodo news agency reported.
The US Marine Corps reportedly plans to fly Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys at the upcoming drills in the northernmost Hokkaido island on August 10-28.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said Ospreys had been given clearance for flights after US investigators ruled out mechanical failures as the cause of last Saturday’s fatal crash off Australia.
Japanese authorities in Hokkaido and Okinawa have been calling to ground all Osprey aircraft over safety concerns. The aircraft has been involved in a series of crashes since the US Marine Corps began using it in 2007.
