ISLAMABAD: During participation in war games, a United States Osprey military aircraft crashed on a distant island located to the north of Australia’s mainland, as confirmed by Australia’s Defence Department on Sunday.
Officials verified that the Osprey vertical takeoff aircraft had transported US “defence personnel.” Media reported approximately 20 individuals were aboard during the incident.
The Care Flight rescue service informed that they had promptly transferred three passengers to Darwin Hospital. Among them, one is in critical condition while the other two remain stable.
“At this critical early stage, our focus is on the incident response and ensuring the safety of those involved,” the Defence Department said in a statement, further adding that Australian soldiers were “not involved”.
According to the emergency services incident map for the Northern Territory, there was a reported “aircraft crash” on Melville Island, situated about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the Australian mainland in the eastern Timor Sea.
During the Predators Run exercises, the Osprey was participating. These joint warfighting drills involve thousands of soldiers from the US, Australia, as well as other militaries like Indonesia and the Philippines.
In recent years, Northern Australia has increasingly served as a crucial staging ground for the US military, as both allies aim to counter China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Troubled aircraft
Tilt-rotor aircraft known as Ospreys combine helicopter and turboprop plane features, as per the US Air Force.
This hybrid craft has two engines on fixed wingtips that can swivel, enabling vertical takeoff and landing while also achieving higher speeds than traditional helicopters.
The Osprey aircraft’s safety record has raised concerns due to a series of fatal incidents.
In April 2000, 19 Marines lost their lives when an Osprey crashed during a training exercise in Arizona.
In 2017, an Osprey crash took three marines’ lives as it struck the rear of a transport ship during an attempted sea landing off Australia’s north coast.
During a separate multinational war games event near Queensland in July, four Australians died as their Taipan helicopter plunged into the sea.
This occurred during the large-scale Talisman Sabre exercise, which united 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the United States, and several other nations.
The crash transpired near the Whitsunday Islands during a nighttime operation.
