Three US Marines killed as aircraft crashes during combat exercise in Australia
Osprey
Australia's defence department said on Sunday (August 27) that a US military aircraft crashed on a remote island north of mainland Australia while it was taking part in war games. US officials have said that three US Marines were killed in the crash while 20 sustained injuries.
"There were a total of 23 personnel on board. Three have been confirmed deceased while five others were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition," a US Marines official said in a statement.
"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, adding that Australian soldiers were "not involved".
The crashed aircraft is an Osprey vertical takeoff aircraft.
An emergency services incident map for Northern Territory revealed that there was an "aircraft crash" on Melville Island. The island is about 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of mainland Australia.
The aircraft was participating in Predators Run exercises. It's a joint combat drill between the US and Australian military.
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Ospreys aircraft is atilt-rotor aircraft.It is a hybrid craft that has two engines on fixed wingtips. These allow the aircraft to land and take-off vertically. It travels much faster than a conventional helicopter.
The safety record of this type of aircraft has reportedly come into question following a series of fatal accidents.
In April 2000, 19 Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed during a training exercise in Arizona.
And three marines were killed in 2017 when an Osprey crashed after clipping the back of a transport ship while trying to land at sea off Australia's north coast.
In July this year, four Australians were killed after their Taipan helicopter crashed into sea during war games near Queensland.
Northern Australia has assumed greater importance in recent years as the US and Australia look to counter growing Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
(With inputs from agencies)
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