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
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Air Warfare
-
![AFA 2026: USAF examines uncrewed cargo aircraft for contested logistics]()
AFA 2026: USAF examines uncrewed cargo aircraft for contested logistics
The US Air Force is evaluating demonstrators for uncrewed cargo missions as it considers logistics requirements across the Pacific and other contested environments.
-
![Europe risks losing control of CUAS production capacity as manufacturers look abroad]()
Europe risks losing control of CUAS production capacity as manufacturers look abroad
European counter-drone developers are securing early orders in the Middle East while slow domestic acquisition processes threaten to redirect production capacity, expertise and investment away from Europe.
-
![AFA 2026: Swarm Aero eyes 2027 Gamera flight as Textron/Merlin reveal SkyCourier UX]()
AFA 2026: Swarm Aero eyes 2027 Gamera flight as Textron/Merlin reveal SkyCourier UX
Two new uncrewed aircraft concepts target very different US military requirements, from massed long-range strike to autonomous logistics. Shephard spoke with executives from Swarm Aero, Textron Aviation and Merlin Labs at this year's AFA Air, Space & Cyber conference to learn more about their capabilities.
