V-22 Osprey fleet cleared for flight after training overhaul, no additional modifications required

successfully done or if other problems arise, he said.Taylor said the service will weigh whether to install new equipment later, depending on the information gleaned from the aircraft’s return to full flight operations, but that no new equipment is needed right now.The services will be able to return Ospreys to flight as soon as they complete the prerequisites Taylor outlined, including refreshing troops’ training and updating maintenance procedures.The Marine Corps oversees operations for the majority of the Pentagon’s V-22 fleet, which has grown to more than 400 aircraft since the program began in the 2000s.Back in 2023, the Marine Corps and Air Force grounded portions of their fleets to address another component issue, the input quill assembly that attaches the aircraft’s engine to its gear box.In the three months since the deadly November crash, Air Force Special Operations Command has also studied its CV-22 program and adjusted training, resources and other factors that could affect safety, the officials told reporters.The service has also kept up maintenance on its aircraft during the standdown, despite limitations spurred by not flying any Osprey.Taylor said the V-22 is unusual in its ability to conduct a variety of missions, from resupplying troops on the ground to providing air support to engaging in a firefight.“You can be on station in five minutes from anywhere,” he said. “It can loiter for hours. It’s a wonderful system.”Joyce added the Corps can get around the recent limitation by having its most experienced pilots and crew carry out maintenance check flights before training less experienced personnel.The Osprey can be used for a variety of missions, from transport to combat assaults, Joyce said, lamenting that the Marine Corps did not use its entire fleet of aircraft at the time of the crash in November.The service is examining its ability to redeploy a V-22 squadron to the Middle East in the event of conflict, he said.The general acknowledged it took several weeks and a multinational effort to recover the wrecked Osprey’s remains, and said that process impacted the Corps’ ability to get the aircraft fleet flying quickly.But he was confident the Osprey will be back to full flight readiness in time for the peak of Marine Corps exercises in the coming months.“We’ll be back flying at full peacetime capability” before too long, Joyce said.