Recently, a fatal "Osprey" crash occurred again in the waters near Japan, in which all eight members of the crew were killed. In the face of this incident, Japan** expressed strong dissatisfaction and demanded that the United States immediately ground the relevant aircraft and launch a comprehensive investigation. However, Japan's ** did not attract the attention of the US military, and it was only recently that the US Air Force Special Operations Command issued a statement deciding to ground the CV-22 "Osprey" transport aircraft. Preliminary findings suggest that the crash may have been caused by a potential material failure, and the military decided to ground the entire Osprey fleet to ensure safety for future operations and training. The "Osprey" transport aircraft, which first flew in 1981, has always been an important combat tool of the US military, with high strategic value, with a maximum take-off weight of 47,500 pounds, equipped with machine guns and missiles, and can perform strategic tasks such as anti-submarine and search, as well as one of the fastest in the world. So, what will be the impact of this total grounding on the US military?
According to the analysis, the US Marine Corps will be the most affected. As the main user of the "Osprey", the Marine Corps has about 400 MV-22s. However, due to the immaturity of the design of the "Osprey", the US Marine Corps suffered many losses in use. For example, during the testing phase in 2000, the Osprey crashed, as a result of which 19 marines were killed. According to US military sources, the main causes of the "Osprey" accident are mechanical failures and human error, especially during the vertical take-off and landing phase, when the aircraft needs to be stable and has high requirements for the operation of the aircraft and pilots. Ospreys have accidents and deaths almost every year, so they have been described as a curse that kills people's lives. However, despite the frequent accidents, the U.S. Marine Corps still insists on using the "Osprey", because it can replace the CH-46 "Sea Knight" and the CH-53E "Super Stallion" Heavy *** for rapid delivery on the front line, especially in recent years, it has played an important role in the "Expeditionary Forward Base" operation plan against China. Therefore, the complete grounding of the "Osprey" has a huge impact on the US Marine Corps.
The US Air Force will also be affected to some extent, especially in terms of special operations. From a strategic point of view, the US Air Force mainly values the fast and long-range characteristics of the "Osprey" and the multi-mode radar equipped to meet the mission requirements of ultra-low-altitude ground flight. The U.S. Air Force has said that the CV-22 is twice as fast and has twice the range, and for special operations forces, these characteristics are critical to the enhancement of mission capabilities. Although the CV-22 has also had a series of accidents in its service with the Air Force, such as being shot down in Afghanistan in 2010, crashing while landing at a base in Hawaii in 2015, etc., and even at least 4 clutch failures have been detected from 2017 to 2022. Compared to the U.S. Marine Corps, the CV-22 grounding will have a relatively small impact on the U.S. Air Force, but the ability to carry out certain special covert combat missions will undoubtedly be significantly reduced.
Regarding the complete grounding of the "Osprey", Wang Wenbin issued an important response. He pointed out that under the protection of "extraterritoriality", the United States has always flaunted the banner of "maintaining regional peace and stability", but it has become a "source of insecurity" for its allies. In Japan, for example, although the United States has a close relationship with Japan, Japan does not feel more secure as a result. By the end of 2020, there had been more than 6,000 criminal offenses and 800 flight accidents in Okinawa by the U.S. military stationed in Japan. In addition, against the backdrop of constant advocacy of the "China threat", the US military began to escalate its armed deployment in **, which caused concern among local residents. If a conflict breaks out between China and the United States, it could become a key target for China, because the area is full of US strongholds and is the main supply depot for naval and air forces. Therefore, from a fundamental point of view, Japan is nothing more than an "outpost" of the United States in the process of containing China and dominating the Asia-Pacific region, and is regarded as an ally by the international community, but in fact it may be more like a "pawn". In the face of the accident, Wang Wenbin hoped that the US side would take the accident seriously and responsibly, attach importance to the concerns of the local people, conduct a comprehensive investigation, and give a reasonable explanation to all parties.
To sum up, the complete grounding of the "Osprey" by the US military will have an impact on the special operations capabilities of the Marine Corps and the Air Force. The Marines are the primary users, and grounding can have a significant impact on their front-line rapid delivery missions. The Air Force's mission capabilities in special operations will also be greatly reduced. In response, Wang Wenbin criticized the U.S. military's approach to regional security issues and emphasized China's concerns. We hope that the US side will take this accident seriously, conduct a detailed investigation, and give a reasonable explanation to all parties.