An unknown number of V-22 Osprey aircraft are being grounded across the military as the services continue to grapple with a gearbox issue that has led to several incidents tied to engine trouble.
The problem is known as a “hard clutch engagement,” and it effectively involves a failure by the aircraft’s complicated system of gearboxes and clutches to balance the power produced by its twin engines. One airman aboard an Osprey when it experienced the failure in 2017 described to Military.com that the issue “blew everything apart” in the gearbox, dumping buckets of oil and leading to an emergency landing.
At a media event Saturday, a defense official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the military now suspects the “input quill assembly” — a part that connects the aircraft engines to its gearbox — wears out more quickly than previously thought and would need to be replaced.
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Citing “operational security concerns,” the official would not say how many flight hours it would take before that replacement is needed, would not specify how many Ospreys have been grounded, and would not say how long planners anticipate it will take before flight restrictions will be lifted.
Replacing the part is a “mitigation,” the official said, while the whole clutch system is redesigned.
“That effort is already underway,” they added.
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