"Trying to remember which previous aircraft this one replaced?"
I think it was this one:
Five were ordered by the Military.
Three were delivered.
Two crashed while testing.
One was used for parts, to fix the crashed ones.
Posted on 12/07/2023 7:11:32 AM PST by Yo-Yo
The grounding of all Osprey tilt-rotors follows a fatal crash off the coast of a Japanese island that may be tied to a “materiel failure.”
The U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps have all now grounded their respective V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor fleets. This follows a fatal crash involving an Air Force CV-22B off the coast of Japan's Yakushima Island on November 29. An investigation into the accident is still ongoing, but has found evidence already that a "materiel failure" may have been the root cause.
The CV-22B, which was using the callsign Gundam 22 at the time, was conducting a routine training mission when it went down. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has declared all eight individuals who were onboard the Osprey, which was assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing's 21st Special Operations Squadron based at Yokota Air Base in Japan, to be deceased. However, the remains of only six individuals have been recovered so far. Efforts to recover the other two still unaccounted-for individuals, as well as the wreckage, are continuing.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces, the only current foreign Osprey operator, also grounded its MV-22Bs last week in the wake of the mishap and had called on the U.S. military to do the same.
"Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, AFSOC Commander, directed an operational standdown of the Air Force CV-22 fleet [on] December 6, 2023 to mitigate risk while the investigation continues on the November 29, 2023 CV-22 mishap near Yakushima, Japan," according to press release Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) put out this evening. "Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time."
"The standdown 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 press release adds. "We extend sincere gratitude to the Joint Force and Government of Japan’s Self-Defense Force, Coast Guard, law enforcement and civilian volunteers for their tireless assistance in the search and rescue operations for our Air Commandos."
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which oversees the Navy and Marine Corps respective CMV-22B and MV-22B fleets, put out a separate press release regarding the grounding of those aircraft.
"Out of an abundance of caution, following the AFSOC operational stand down, NAVAIR is instituting a grounding bulletin for all V-22 Osprey variants Dec. 6," according to NAVAIR. "This decision comes after the V-22 Osprey mishap on Nov. 29, off the shore of Yakushima, Japan. Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time."
"While the mishap remains under investigation, we are implementing additional risk mitigation controls to ensure the safety of our service members," the NAVAIR release continued. "The Joint Program Office continues to communicate and collaborate with all V-22 stakeholders and customers, including allied partners."
"We can’t say for sure right now," a spokesperson for AFSOC separately told The War Zone when asked for further details about the possible materiel issue. "The mishap investigation will collect data to ensure a thorough investigation and appropriate recommendations."
"We will share additional information as it becomes available to us," NAVAIR also said in response to our queries for additional information.
This is the third grounding of at least a portion of Osprey fleets worldwide in the past 16 months or so. The Air Force grounded its CV-22Bs in August 2022 after one of the aircraft made an emergency landing in Norway. There were thankfully no injuries as a result of that mishap, which was traced to an issue with a hard clutch on the Osprey.
In February of this year, the Air Force, as well as the Navy and the Marines, grounded some of their Ospreys again over the hard clutch issue. There is no indication one way or another that the clutch was a factor in the November 29 crash.
Ospreys have suffered a number of serious accidents, many of which have been fatal and some that have been linked to other materiel issues, since the aircraft first flew in 1989. There have been three fatal Marine MV-22B crashes just since March 2022. The March 2022 crash was subsequently determined to have been caused by pilot error, while a crash that followed in June of last year was attributed to the hard clutch problem. The most recent Marine Osprey mishap, which occurred in Australia in August, remains under investigation.
The latest grounding is a particularly significant issue for the Marine Corps. The service is, by far, the largest operator of Ospreys and they are a key component of its day-to-day operations.
It remains to be seen now what the investigation into the CV-22B crash last week will conclude about the circumstances of that mishap, and when the current grounding will be lifted.
We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDBXwWlU64M
I wonder if this is going to affect the Navy's decision to phase out C-2 Greyhounds for CMV-22B Ospreys to perform the Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) mission.
Osprey hating in 3-2-1...
Dang it! I was gonna fly my osprey to the east coast and watch the illegals landing onshore in Martha’s vineyard! (Or was it another ritzy place they are being shipped to?)
Those tilt-rotors have been touchy from the get-go.
And despite the Osprey’s negative reputation, you won’t find its incident record as a dangerous outlier in service-wide or branch-specific data. As Marine Maj. Jorge Hernandez, spokesman for Marine aviation, explained to the Military Times in a July e-mail, the Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey has a lower mishap rate per 100,000 flight hours than the Harrier, Super Hornet, F-35B, or CH-53E Super Stallion.
I know it got a very bad reputation early on with several very high profile crashes that were traced to a condition called vortex ring state, but overall the V-22 has proven to be no more dangerous than other military aircraft in general.
Very good and thorough description. Thanks.
Thats because Xi Jinping called them out on all their crashes and to make them look stupid, but they follow him, unbelievable.
Thanks for the Blacolirio video link. He does a good job explaining the Osprey drive train.
Yeah, I’ll hate on it. Only because you can buy 20 Blackhawk helicopters for every V22. And you can buy 50 F16s for every F35 and so on. The F16 only ever needed weapons upgrades, I don’t mind spending money on the military, I just wish we got more bang for the buck.
Trying to remember which previous aircraft this one replaced?
I saw two flying just yesterday...
“Those tilt-rotors have been touchy from the get-go.”
Politics at its best...GWB gave the contract to Texas..Nuff said...
For Marine use it replaced the CH-46 Sea Knight, known as the "Phrog."
For the Air Force, it replaced the MH-53 Pave Low.
For the Navy, it is in the process of replacing the C-2 Greyhound.
It is not so much Osprey hating as it is the aircraft is poorly suited for the job the COD fills and too expensive to operate. Politicians for money, suppliers for money, brass for jobs and money and others for some shiny new toy get wrong headed. The Greyhound may be old but that does not mean it needs to be phased out. New ones bought maybe but not phased out.
“Trying to remember which previous aircraft this one replaced?”
It didn’t actually replace any specific aircraft, although it was nominally intended to eventually replace the CH-46 and CH-47 helicopters. The ‘46 and ‘47 just cannot match the V-22 in speed to the area of operations...
V-22 incidents are not recoverable. When things go bad, you’re dead.
As a pilot, this bird ain’t for me. Give me a bird that has a chance for corrective action and survivability.
I know you're exaggerating, but a new build F-16C Block 70 costs $63 million, and the latest tranche of F-35As cost $70 million.
The Blackhawk doesn't have the capacity, range, or speed of the Osprey, so it isn't a substitute, regardless of cost.
Who’s exaggerating?
Mothball/scrap them and start over WITHOUT a tilt wing.
These have been a disaster since the program started.
"Trying to remember which previous aircraft this one replaced?"
I think it was this one:
Five were ordered by the Military.
Three were delivered.
Two crashed while testing.
One was used for parts, to fix the crashed ones.
The person who said And you can buy 50 F16s for every F35 and so on.
You can buy 1.1 F-16s for every F-35.
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