Grounded Fleet: Will The Marine Corps Still Plan to Fly Osprey into 2060s?

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

Air Force Special Operations are carefully and intensely surging forward with an investigation regarding reasons for the fatal Osprey crash, following initial determinations that the accident was not caused by pilot error but possibly an internal mechanical malfunction or problem with the aircraft.

The Pentagon’s decision to “ground” all Ospreys while an investigation unfolds appears to be an intelligent, conservative decision in what Deputy Pentagon Secretary Sabrina Singh called “an abundance of caution.”

“The secretary fully supports the services and their [decision], out of an abundance of caution, to stand these aircraft down,” she said, according to a Pentagon essay.

The key focus may center around making the determination as to whether there was a specific malfunction with that particular aircraft or if the incident reveals or points to some kind of “fleet wide” or systemic problem.

In the meantime, many eyes are focused upon the Osprey itself, analyzing its complicated beginnings, combat performance and tactical advantages. As many explore the realm of potential problems with the aircraft, the overall history of the aircraft’s performance could be overlooked.

As an air platform, the Osprey has been an extraordinary platform in high-demand for decades by Navy and Marine Corps Combatant Commanders. As a ground-breaking tiltrotor, the aircraft can of course maneuver and hover with the ability of a rotary aircraft and take-off-and-land vertically, the rotors can drop into a horizontal positioning and surge into “airplane mode” hitting speeds up to 280mph. This airplane speeds more than double the speed of cutting edge UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

More than five years ago, the US Marine Corps 2018 Aviation plan outlined a special plan to ensure sustainability, modernization and continued service life for the Osprey to ensure the aircraft flies into 2060. This is because maritime commanders have for years praised the Osprey for its performance and consistently asked for more of the aircraft, a need so strong it prompted the Marine Corps to launch a new Osprey sustainment and modernization effort