US pulls some V-22 Ospreys from service with clutch-related issues
Despite maintenance issues, USMC, USN and US Air Force Special Operations Command squadrons will continue training and operations with the V-22 Osprey. (Photo: US DoD)
The US Marine Corps was aware of the technical issue with the V-22 tiltrotor but decided against grounding the aircraft and instructed pilots to deal with the incidents in-flight instead as injuries were not suffered.
The Pentagon is temporarily taking an undisclosed number of Bell V-22 Ospreys out of service across the USMC, the USN and the USAF, a defence official told reporters on 4 February during a briefing.
The problem appears to be the input quill assembly that connects the rotorcraft’s engines to the drive system, which needs replacing after a certain number of flight hours to ensure safe operations.
‘This recommendation is based on a progressive increase in hard clutch engagements and ongoing engineering analysis,’ the official was quoted saying by Breaking Defense.
US DoD, however, does not want to specify the
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
![XTEND wins contract for precision strike drone]()
XTEND wins contract for precision strike drone
XTEND is supplying its Scorpio UAS to meet a US DoD requirement for an indoor/outdoor strike drone.
-
![Northrop gets $3.5 billion contract to integrate mission systems for E-6B successor]()
Northrop gets $3.5 billion contract to integrate mission systems for E-6B successor
The E-130J aircraft will take over the E-6B for the US Navy’s Take Charge and Move Out system.
-
![Bell selects Fort Worth site to build V-280s for the FLRAA programme]()
Bell selects Fort Worth site to build V-280s for the FLRAA programme
The facility will work towards readiness for Low-Rate Initial Production on the V-280 by 2028.
