US military grounds entire Osprey tiltrotor fleet over safety concerns
Boeing-Bell V-22 can't outfly its checkered past, it seems
The US Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have grounded their fleet of Boeing-Bell-made Osprey V-22s on safety grounds.
A spokesperson for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) told The Register that the decision had been made following an incident where one of the aircraft made an emergency landing.
"Out of an abundance of caution, NAVAIR recommended an operational pause for all V-22 Osprey variants December 6. This decision comes following a recent precautionary landing of a CV-22. There were no injuries to the crew," he explained.
"The safety of our V-22 aircrew is our top priority. We are committed to ensuring our Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are able to successfully complete their missions and return home safely."
The move comes after a V-22, operating out of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) in Florida, was forced to make a "precautionary landing," its spokesperson told us. No one was injured in the incident.
The decision comes barely a year after the last grounding of the V-22 fleet, which came after a fatal crash by a V-22 operated by the Air Force which killed both pilots and six passengers. The cause of that crash was reportedly one of the two engines failed, and the fleet was grounded for three months of checks.
The aircraft's tiltrotor design, while offering significant advantages in terms of speed, range, and short or vertical lift-off capability, is also incredibly complicated. The aircraft has gained a reputation for unreliability, with four crashes and 30 fatalities occurring during the nine-year testing period, and one ex-pilot has claimed the design was rushed through testing.
Last month an investigation by the Associated Press reported that the top three most serious types of incidents for the aircraft were up to 46 percent between 2019 and 2023, despite the total number of flying hours falling. Overall safety issues were up 18 percent in the same period.
The report suggests that the complex design of the Boeing-Bell aircraft, and the stresses and strains of flight, are causing parts to wear out more quickly than expected. Most of the accidents reported were related to engine issues and last month's incident may have been more serious than the military is saying, otherwise why ground the entire fleet?
Nevertheless, the military isn't giving up on the design. In 2022 the winner of the military's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft was announced and it's another tiltrotor design — the Bell V-280 Valor. That aircraft is designed to replace the Black Hawk transport helicopter and is forecast to fly in 2027 at the earliest. ®