OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
2:35 PM – Thursday, December 21, 2023
The House Oversight Committee is calling on the Pentagon to provide more information about the safety and performance of the military’s V-22 Osprey aircraft.
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In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday, Representative James Comer (R-Ky.) said the committee is investigating long-term problems over the aircrafts reliability.
“It is crucial for the safety of our servicemembers to ensure transparency, accountability, and a thorough understanding of the steps [the] DOD is taking to mitigate any further mechanical risk,” the letter read.
The investigation comes after eight service members were killed during a training exercise on November 29th after an Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan.
Seven of the airmen’s bodies have since been recovered and the Air Force reported that preliminary findings point towards a mechanical error.
The V-22 Joint Program Office grounded the military’s entire Osprey fleet after the crash to renew concerns over safety and “mitigate risks.”
More than 60 service members and other passengers have died in Osprey crashes since 1992.
The committee said it’s alarmed that most fatalities happened during training exercises, not combat operations.
According to Comer, the American taxpayer has also heavily invested in the aircraft. The Department of Defense has purchased more than 450 Ospreys with each unit costing around $120 million.
The committee is requesting documents and information on aspects of the program’s safety and performance no later than January 4th, 2024.
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