Air Drive Particular Operations Command has stopped all flights for its complete fleet of CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor plane, citing questions of safety over the past two months.
Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, head of Air Drive Particular Operations Command, on Tuesday ordered the stand-down of the service’s 52 Ospreys “attributable to an elevated variety of security incidents,” based on an emailed assertion.
“Since 2017 there have been 4 incidents involving onerous clutch engagement throughout flight with 2 occurring previously 6 weeks,” Lt. Col. Rebecca Heyse, director of U.S. Air Drive Particular Operations Command Public Affairs, mentioned in a press release.
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Heyse added that the “size of the standdown is unknown” however that the command is working “to totally perceive this concern and develop danger management measures to mitigate the probability of catastrophic outcomes.”
News of the stand-down follows two deadly Osprey crashes this yr that left a complete of 9 Marines useless. As well as, an ejector seat concern grounded the Air Drive‘s F-35A Lightning IIs for 2 weeks.
The Osprey is a revolutionary, but controversial, plane for the army. It combines the vertical takeoff and touchdown capabilities of a conventional helicopter with the lengthy vary of a turboprop airplane.
The Navy‘s CMV-22 Osprey items are persevering with to fly, however Cmdr. Zach Harrell with Naval Air Forces Public Affairs mentioned the service is “conscious of the problems affecting the U.S. Air Drive CV-22 fleet and are carefully monitoring our CMV-22 plane for comparable occurrences.”
The Marine Corps didn’t instantly reply to Navy.com when requested whether or not the clutch concern prolonged to its fleet of Ospreys as nicely.
The Air Drive started fielding its model, the CV-22, in 2007.
Heyse mentioned the problem includes the onerous clutch engagement, part of the gearbox that connects the Osprey’s Rolls-Royce engines to the rotor. The clutch is slipping, forcing the craft to land with a view to regain stability. No airmen have been damage or killed by the problem.
“At this level, there have been no accidents or deaths, due largely to the talent and professionalism of our Air Commandos who function the CV-22,” Heyse mentioned in an e-mail. “The protection of our Airmen is of the utmost significance, subsequently no AFSOC CV-22s will fly till we’ll decide the reason for the onerous clutch engagements and danger management measures are put in place.”
The stand-down follows a lethal crash this previous June, when 5 Marines onboard an MV-22B Osprey had been killed when the plane crashed close to Glamis, California.
Moreover, in March, an Osprey crashed close to Bodo, Norway, whereas collaborating in a army train, killing 4 Marines. That plane was based mostly out of Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina.
Investigators concluded that the pilots for the plane that crashed in Norway turned too sharply, inflicting the craft to lose altitude and pace, and in the end crash.
These crashes had been the primary lethal incidents with the plane since 2017. Between 1991 and 2006, whereas the plane was present process testing, there have been 4 crashes leading to 30 deaths.
The stand-down of Air Drive Particular Operations Command’s Ospreys comes simply weeks after the Air Drive, Navy and Marines needed to floor lots of of jets after a widespread concern with ejection seats was found.
The Navy and Marine Corps grounded an undisclosed variety of F/A-18 Hornets, F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornets and EA-18G Growlers, in addition to T-45 Goshawk and F-5 Tiger II coaching plane.
The Air Drive additionally stood down its F-35s to research the components. As of this week, the fighter jets are again within the air.
– Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report
— Thomas Novelly will be reached at thomas.novelly@army.com. Comply with him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
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