The US Navy has ended an operational pause on its troubled fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft, allowing flights to resume with inspections of the aircraft.
In a statement, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said they ordered an inspection of the flight hours on each aircraft’s gearbox before they fly again. If an aircraft’s gearbox has more than a set number of hours, it can resume flying.
But aircraft with gearboxes that have fewer than the set number of hours must undergo an additional series of checks and “risk mitigation controls,” NAVAIR said.
NAVAIR would not say what the number of hours would be to determine if an aircraft is permitted to resume flying, nor would it disclose how many Ospreys would be affected for “operational security concerns.”
The latest two-week pause went into effect on December 9 following what the military called an “immediate landing” of an Air Force CV-22 Osprey in New Mexico. There were no injuries, and the cause of the incident is being investigated.
NAVAIR runs the Osprey joint program office, which means it has the authority to ground the military’s Osprey fleet over security concerns and allow the fleet to resume flying. The vast majority of Ospreys are operated by the Marine Corps, with some 360 aircraft, according to the joint program office. The Navy and Air Force Special Operations Command also operate a small number of Ospreys, with both services using approximately 50 aircraft.
“The V-22 plays an integral role in supporting our nation’s defense. Returning these vital assets to flight is critical to supporting our nation’s interests,” NAVAIR said in its statement.
Roughly a year ago, the military’s fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft was grounded following a deadly Air Force Special Operations crash off the coast of Japan. The CV-22 Osprey crash, which occurred in late November 2023, resulted in the deaths of all eight airmen on board.
The grounding guidance was lifted in March. In a series of briefings to reporters after the grounding was lifted, officials expressed confidence the Osprey would be safe to fly but provided few specifics as to what failed in the deadly November crash.
