Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 displayed the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft July 20 during the 28th Sapporo Airshow at the Sapporo Okadama Airport.

The squadron is with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

More than 20,000 people attended the biannual airshow, which displayed both U.S. and Japanese aircraft. This was the first year that the Osprey was on display.

The Osprey is unique from other aircraft because it has the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft, but can take off and land like a helicopter. Its capabilities have made it instrumental in humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations such as Operation Damayan, the III MEF response following the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Republic of the Philippines November 8, 2013.

“This is the first time we’ve been to an airshow in Japan,” said Capt. Kris B. Hansen, an Osprey pilot with the squadron. “It’s very important for us to be out here because it puts a face to the aircraft and allows the public to familiarize themselves with it.”

There are many people who are misinformed about the Osprey, according to Maj. Gen. Andrew W. O’Donnell Jr., the deputy commander of U.S. Forces Japan. The Osprey is a capable and safe aircraft, and it is important to show that to the Japanese community.

“We’re changing the public’s views on the Osprey by letting them see it up close,” said Staff Sgt. Shival N. Ramroop, an airframe hydraulic mechanic with the squadron.

The airshow gave Sapporo residents the opportunity to see the aircraft from the outside, and the Marines who work on the Ospreys opened the aircraft to allow people to walk through and see the cockpit.

“It is very important to bring the Osprey to airshows because it allows people to get a closer look at the aircraft,” said Ramroop, a Bogota, New Jersey, native. “After speaking with the mechanics and aircrew who work on the Osprey, people understand more about the aircraft and what it can do.”

The airshow is a great way to build a stronger bond between the U.S. and Japanese militaries, because they are able to see each other’s aircraft more closely, according to O’Donnell. Both the U.S. and Japan worked very hard to bring the Osprey to Sapporo for the airshow.

“We’ve had a lot of people come through the aircraft today, and it was a very positive experience on both sides,” said Hansen, a Tustin, California, native. “The Japanese people were very eager to see the aircraft and talk to us about it, and they were extremely friendly and gracious hosts.”

The Osprey is still unfamiliar to the public, but now it is being displayed in more places to give them a better understanding, according to Hansen.

“The Osprey is a great aircraft, and we hope that more countries will get involved with the aircraft and break new grounds with what it can do,” said O’Donnell.