Honolulu Star-Bulletin Local News Japan Defense Agency Rear Adm. Toru Ishikawa reads a statement Tuesday night, June 4, in Tokyo after a Japanese destroyer accidentally shot down a U.S. A6 Intruder fighter jet during military exercises off Hawaii Tuesday. AP Photo/Tetsuji Hamada
Clinton accepts Japan's apology Mechanical failure suspected in downing of U.S. jet by Japan The U.S. aviators are rescued and returned to their carrier By Gregg K. Kakesako Star-Bulletin
The Japanese government has apologized for accidentally shooting down a U.S. attack bomber during a six-nation RIMPAC live gunnery practice last night. The two crew members in the Navy's A-6E Intruder ejected and were immediately pulled from the ocean by the Japanese and returned to their aircraft carrier, the USS Independence, after the 7:15 p.m. accident. The pilot, Lt. Cmdr. William Royster of Kansas City, Mo., and bombardier-navigator, Lt. Keith Douglas of Birmingham, Ala., were rescued within minutes by the Japanese destroyer Yuugiri (DD-153). The Japanese vessel Yuugiri, a 3,500-ton destroyer, is shown in this file photo. The two belong to VA-115 Eagle Halls which is part of Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard the USS Independence, homeported in Yokosuka. The Intruder was towing a target for a ship-to-air gunnery practice 1,600 miles west of Hawaii. The 450-foot Yuugiri, which carries a crew of about 200, was using a 20 mm Phalanx Close In Weapons System (CIWS) capable of firing bursts of 3,000 rounds per minute like a modern-day Gatling gun. Navy officials said the accident occured during a routine test of the close-in weapon system, which works with an advanced fire-control radar. In the exercise, the Intruder was towing a drone - a five-foot-long orange missile. The weapons system is supposed to go into action against the towed drone after the aircraft has passed the ship. A mechanical problem with the weapon may have caused the accident, a Japanese navy official said today. Live fire training involving Japanese and U.S. forces have been suspended pending an investigation of the incident. However, live fire exercises with the other countries will be held, the Navy said. Through a spokesman Adm. Ronald Zlatoper, Pacific Fleet commander, said he was "most appreciative" of expressions of concern and regret from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. This is the first such accident involving Japan since it began participating in RIMPAC, the largest naval exercise in the Pacific involving 30,000 service members, 44 ships and 250 aircraft. Besides Japan and the United States, other RIMPAC's participants include Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Chile. The mock naval battles will end June 21. In Washington, D.C., President Clinton got a written report on the incident and quickly accepted Japan's "gracious" apology. Royster, 33, had facial lacerations and was in good condition after surgery on the ship; Douglas, 30, was treated for superficial abrasions and muscle strain. Most of the injuries occurred during injection from the aircraft. An accompanying destroyer - USS Fife - recovered parts of the downed aircraft. This is the ninth RIMPAC - begun in 1971 - for the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. Participating Japanese units include eight destroyers, a submarine, a fleet support ship, and a squadron of P-3C Orion patrol aircraft. The first RIMPAC was held 25 years ago and was conceived during the Cold War to combat the Soviet Union's deep ocean threat. RIMPAC 96 will be the last major exercise for the aging A-6E Intruders, carrier-based attack bombers that have seen combat over Vietnam, Libya and Iran. The A-6E made its maiden flight in 1970. The plane is being phased out and will be replaced by various models of the more advanced F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Japanese Ship Accidentally Downs U.S. Jet June 05, 1996|TERESA WATANABE | TIMES STAFF WRITER TOKYO —
A Japanese destroyer accidentally shot down a U.S. bomber in the Pacific during joint military exercises Monday, and naval forces of both nations temporarily suspended all live-fire exercises as they sought an explanation for the incident. The aircraft's two crew members ejected safely and were rescued after a U.S.-made antiaircraft gun fired on the A-6E Intruder aircraft instead of the target that the jet was towing during exercises Monday night about 1,500 miles west of the main Hawaiian island of Oahu. The 20-millimeter General Dynamics gun, which fires 3,000 rounds per minute and determines by computer if an object poses a threat, may have been inadvertently turned to an automatic firing mode, some officials speculated. The Japanese operator may have mistaken the aircraft for the target or accidentally pressed the firing button, others said. The high-tech weapon, installed on the Japanese destroyer Yugiri, automatically fires if a target moving at a prescribed speed enters the firing range. But a Japanese official said it is rarely, if ever, on automatic.
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