The United States has decided to halt all operations of its V-22 Osprey helicopter fleet after an incident off the coast of Japan resulted in the tragic death of eight crew members.
The cause of the crash, reported to be a malfunction, has prompted Air Force and Navy officials to take this precautionary measure “to mitigate risk while the investigation continues.”
Japan, the only other nation known to operate Ospreys, has also grounded its fleet of 14 helicopters in response to the incident.
The unique capability of Ospreys to function as both a helicopter and an aircraft with a propeller makes them integral to military operations.
The grounding of the American fleet is expected to persist until the investigation is completed, although no specific timeframe has been provided.
The Air Force Special Operations Command stated, “The stand down will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force CV-22 fleet returns to flight operations.”
The crash occurred during a training flight from a US Marine Corps air base in Yamaguchi Prefecture to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
Witnesses observed the Osprey flipping over and catching fire before crashing offshore.
As of now, only six of the eight crew members’ remains have been recovered.
Lt Gen Tony Bauernfeind, the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, paid tribute to the fallen, stating, “The honorable service of these eight Airmen to this great Nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history.”
The Osprey, designed to take off and land like a helicopter while maintaining the speed of a fixed-wing aircraft, is utilized by the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, with over 400 currently in service.
However, its safety record has come under scrutiny, with more than 50 service members losing their lives in Osprey flight tests or training flights.
In a similar incident in August, a different Osprey model crashed during a military exercise in Australia, resulting in the death of three US Marines and injuries to 20 others.
Another crash in the California desert last year claimed the lives of five Marines.
Earlier this year, the Navy, Air Force, and Marines had grounded certain V-22 Ospreys due to an ongoing issue with the tiltrotor’s hard clutch.
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