WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps welcomed its final MV-22 Osprey into its fleet today.
The aircraft is the 359th Osprey delivered to the Marine Corps and completes the program of record — prompting the service to invest in modernization initiatives for the aircraft moving forward, according to a Marine Corps news release.
The Marine Corps’ Osprey fleet reached initial operating capability in 2007, logging more than 686,500 flight hours across 114 operational deployments. The aircraft can take off and land vertically, and is designed to ferry troops, equipment, and supplies across ships and land bases, according to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
“The MV-22B didn’t just join our fleet; it fundamentally changed the way the Marine Air-Ground Task Force generates combat power,” Lt. Gen. William Swan, deputy commandant for aviation, said in a statement. “It provides commanders with decision space that only speed and reach can provide, connecting ships, bases, and distributed forces in ways previous generations could only imagine. Today, Marine commanders build operations around the assumption that the MV-22B will be there.”
The Marine Corps is now focusing on a modernization initiative to ensure the aircraft remains operational through 2055. Modernization efforts include improvements to the aircraft’s nacelle wiring to cut down on maintenance hours, standardizing aircraft configurations, and revamping components to bolster safety and sustainability, according to the service.
“We cannot assume that because the MV-22B transformed Marine aviation once, its evolution is complete,” Swan said in his statement. “It is our responsibility to carry this legacy forward and ensure this aircraft remains ready, relevant, safe and lethal for the fight ahead.”
The Osprey fleet across the services has suffered several fatal crashes in recent years, including one in June 2022 that killed five Marines. A Marine Corps investigation determined that a hard clutch engagement — an episode where the clutch temporarily slips and then reengages — caused the crash.
Additionally, an Air Force Osprey suffered a fatal crash that killed eight airmen off the coast of Japan in November 2023 — prompting the Pentagon to ground all Ospreys across the force in December 2023. An Air Force investigation into the matter determined a gearbox failure caused the mishap.
NAVAIR, which oversees the V-22 joint program office, lifted the grounding in March 2024. However, the command issued guidance in December of that year ordering gearbox inspections of the aircraft prior to each flight, and placed limitations on aircraft until the gearbox is upgraded or the aircraft reaches a “predetermined flight threshold,” according to NAVAIR. That restriction remains in place.
NAVAIR has not disclosed details regarding the specific flight hour thresholds and the number of aircraft affected, citing security reasons.
To address hard clutch engagements, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Jacob Sugg told Breaking Defense that the service is developing a redesigned input quill assembly (IQA), which houses the clutch and connects the aircraft’s engine to the drive system.
“In the meantime, the present flight-hour restriction on the IQA implemented in February 2023 has resulted in no further Hard Clutch Engagements,” Sugg said in an email.
