NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Air Force officials told Military.com that they remain confident in the CV-22 Osprey amid recent deadly crashes, some of which have been attributed to an elusive ongoing mechanical issue.
A Marine Corps Osprey crashed in Australia last month, killing three Marines; the cause is still being investigated. Additionally, another Marine Corps Osprey went down last year in Southern California, claiming the lives of five Marines. Findings revealed in July showed the cause of that crash was a hard clutch engagement, a mechanical issue that has plagued the military for more than a decade.
But the Air Force, which uses the aircraft for special operations missions, remains dedicated, committed and confident in the aircraft, officials said.
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“These are fellow crew members that we’ve trained with in the past, so it always hits home. Our condolences remain with them,” Brig. Gen. Michael Conley, the Air Force Special Operations Command director of operations, told Military.com in an exclusive interview last week. “We remain confident in the aircraft.”
Likewise, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the commander of AFSOC, told reporters during a media roundtable Tuesday that the command is following mitigation steps issued over the last year.
“We’re very confident in the mitigation steps that we’ve done,” Bauernfeind said. “With…
