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House investigators on Thursday asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide more information about the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft after a series of deadly crashes.
The US arsenal's fleet of more than 400 Ospreys was grounded in December 6, about a week after a crash killed eight American airmen off the coast of Japan.
“The Committee remains concerned about safety and performance issues related to the Osprey program,” wrote Rep. James Comer (R-Kentrucky), chairman of the Oversight and Accountability Committee. in a letter which asked the Pentagon to submit documents by January 4.
The investigation seeks to address long-term problems with the Osprey, which was manufactured by a joint venture between Boeing (New York Stock Exchange: BA) Textron (New York Stock Exchange: TXT) Doorbell unit. The US military has a fleet of more than 400 Ospreys. The plane has a history of multiple mishaps, although the US and Japanese governments reject claims that it is accident-prone.
A key concern is that the tiltrotor craft resembles a design the U.S. military selected last year to replace its fleet of Black Hawk helicopters. Last year, Bell won a contract to build the V-280 Valor, which has longer range and is faster than the Osprey.
V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft, the replacement for the US Army's BlackHawk helicopter Photo: Bell Textron
