US Armed Forces - Hundreds of US military aircraft grounded for the time being after crash
Following the crash of a US military aircraft last week, the US Army has temporarily withdrawn hundreds of V-22 Osprey aircraft from service. The entire fleet of this type is to remain on the ground while investigations into the cause of the crash are carried out, according to the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). Preliminary results indicate a possible material defect, AFSOC wrote (Wednesday, local time). As a precautionary measure, NAVAIR subsequently announced on Thursday that it would follow the decision. According to the Washington Post, the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps use more than 400 V-22 aircraft.
There have been repeated accidents involving this type of aircraft in the past. Most recently, on November 29, a US military Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan with eight people on board. Three bodies have been recovered and three more have been located, the US military said on Tuesday.
Boeing and Bell, which jointly manufacture the aircraft, are "prepared to provide assistance" should the US military request it, the companies told theWashington Post.
Three killed in August crash
As recently as August, three US Marines died during an exercise in Australia when they crashed with another Osprey model. According to the New York Times, more than 60 deaths have been linked to Osprey accidents since the US military began using the aircraft in the early 1990s.
According to the manufacturer, the aircraft uses rotors to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and can then fly like an airplane at high speed and altitude. Japan also uses Osprey models. In response to the recent accident, the country suspended all flights of its own 14 Ospreys for the time being.
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Source: www.stern.de
