The military’s fleet of V-22 Ospreys will be restricted from flying their full range of missions until at least 2025 as the Pentagon addresses safety concerns, the head of the program informed lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday.
Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, head of U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, which oversees the aircraft military-wide, told lawmakers at a House oversight hearing that it will take at least another six to nine months to complete all safety and performance assessments for the Osprey.
Over the program’s lifespan, a total of 64 service members have been killed in air and ground accidents, with 93 injured. In the last two years, four separate crashes have killed 20 service members, two of which involved catastrophic mechanical failures not previously encountered by the program.
Following a crash off the coast of Japan in November that killed eight service members, the fleet was grounded for months. The Ospreys resumed limited flights in March but are not performing their full range of missions, including carrier operations, for which they were designed.
The Osprey, in use since 2007, is capable of flying like an airplane and landing like a helicopter. Critics argue that its innovative design has systemic flaws contributing to the unexpected failures.
One major issue causing the extension of restricted flights is a clutch failure identified as a primary factor in a June 2022 crash that killed five Marines in California. The clutch component, like many other parts of the aircraft, has been wearing out much faster than expected, leading to an unprecedented dual hard clutch engagement during the 2022 crash, leaving pilots unable to save the aircraft.
Vice Adm. Chebi emphasized the importance of resolving these issues to ensure the safety and reliability of the Osprey fleet before allowing them to resume full operations. The continued restricted operations reflect the military’s commitment to addressing these critical safety concerns comprehensively.