The Osprey is back in the air after being grounded for months following a crash last November that killed eight U.S. service members in Japan.

A flight engineer in the back braces a .50-caliber machine gun over the edge of the Osprey's open ramp as desert shrubbery blurs past. The aircraft's joints shift and rattle, and there is little steady to hold on to until the Osprey touches down with a bump,

Since the military started flying the aircraft three decades ago, 64 personnel have been killed and 93 injured in crashes. Japan’s military briefly grounded its fleet again late last month after an Osprey tilted violently during takeoff and struck the ground.