Aus finds crashed US military aircraft with 3 marines dead

The MV-22 Osprey — a hybrid helicopter-turboprop with a chequered safety record - went down today off Shoalwater Bay in Queensland state.

Twenty-three personnel were quickly saved, but three marines remained missing despite an air and sea search.

The Royal Australian Navy survey ship HMAS Melville joined the search overnight and soon found the wreckage.

"Shortly after commencing survey operations in the area, the submerged aircraft was located," Defence Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.

A navy diving team has since headed to the Melville via landing craft and was to conduct "remotely operated underwater vehicle operations" on Monday evening.

On Sunday, the US Marine Corps said recovery and salvage operations could take months to complete, while the cause of the crash was being investigated. The MV-22, which is half-helicopter half-turboprop, has two engines positioned on fixed wingtips that allow it to land and take off vertically. It can travel much faster than a helicopter. The Japan-based aircraft was in the region as part of the Australian-US joint military exercise Talisman Sabre.

Japan's new defence minister today told the US military of his "many concerns" after it flew an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in the country following a weekend crash off Australia, the defence ministry said.

Itsunori Onodera, appointed Thursday as Japan's defence minister, had asked the US to temporarily stop flying the aircraft in his country following the accident.

"We have still many concerns," Onodera said during a meeting with Maj Gen Charles Chiarotti, deputy commander of US Forces in Japan, according to a defence ministry spokesman.