ALBAWABA - Three American soldiers have been injured during an Osprey military aircraft crash on a remote island north of Australia's mainland while taking part in a military drill on Sunday.
Officials confirmed that the Osprey vertical takeoff aircraft was transporting "defense personnel" from the United States, with local media saying that there were roughly 20 soldiers on board.
The Australian Defence Department said in a statement "At this critical early stage, our focus is on the incident response and ensuring the safety of those involved," adding that Australian soldiers were "not involved".
The Osprey was taking part in the Predators Run exercises, a joint series of warfighting drills involving thousands of soldiers from the US, Australia, and other militaries such as Indonesia and the Philippines.
Northern Australia has become an increasingly important staging ground for the US military in recent years, as the two allies look to counter China in the Asia-Pacific region.
Aircraft model
According to the US Air Force, Ospreys are tilt-rotor aircraft that combine the features of both helicopters and turboprop planes, with two swiveling engines positioned on fixed wingtips that allow it to land and take off vertically, but also travel much faster than a conventional helicopter.
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.
During a separate series of multinational war simulations near Queensland in July, four Australians were killed when their Taipan chopper crashed into the sea. The Taipan had been participating in the large-scale Talisman Sabre exercise, which drew 30,000 military troops from Australia, the United States, and other countries.
