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V-22 Osprey Readiness Rates Decline as Mishaps Increase
Given the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor’s troubled safety record, with accident rates spiking nearly 90 percent above historical averages and 20 service members killed between fiscal years 2022 and 2024, on Feb. 9, 2026 lawmakers put under intense scrutiny American military leaders.
As reported by Alert 5, two major reviews released in December painted a sobering picture: the joint hearing by House Armed Services subcommittees examined those findings. 28 serious safety risks left unresolved for a median of nine years, fragmented communication between services, and mission-capable rates languishing around 40 to 50 percent across the fleet.
According to USNI News, in addition, a new report released by the Government and Accountability Office (GAO) shows that for the US Marine Corps (USMC) and US Air Force (USAF), the rate of serious accidents was higher than the average of the fixed and rotary aircraft fleet for every year except 2019. More than $600,000 in damage or serious injury were caused by Class A and Class B mishap rates which significantly exceeding the average for fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The US Navy (USN) has not recorded any Class A or Class B mishaps since the platform entered service in 2021 given that the service uses the Osprey in a more limited way for carrier onboard delivery (COD).
“The problem is not identifying risks,” Diana Moldafsky, GAO director of Defense Capabilities and Management, told lawmakers. “The problem is closing them.”
Improved gearboxes
The failure in sharing critical safety information across the three services operating the Osprey is a recurring theme in both reports. Hazard and accident data remained “stovepiped,” with no regular forum for sharing emergency procedures, pilots and maintenance crews told investigators.
Even though they defended the aircraft’s unique capabilities and outlining corrective measures already underway, Vice Admiral John Dougherty, commander of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and Brigadier General David Walsh, the V-22 program executive officer, acknowledged the challenges.
Walsh said that the USMC is producing and delivering improved gearboxes at a rate of 12 per month to all three services thus bringing the Osprey programs closer to removing the airworthiness controls that have limited full flight operations since March 2024.
“The V-22 provides unmatched operational capability and flexibility. It’s in high demand across the joint force because of the unique war fighting advantage it provides our warriors,” Walsh said. “We owe the men and women who count on this platform every day the safest, most ready aircraft that we can provide, and we are fully committed to doing just that.”
V-22 Readiness Rates Decline as Mishaps Increase
Something identified as a significant gap by both reviews is that the V-22 has operated for 20 years without a mid-life upgrade. Modernization plans for the drive system, airframe and avionics that officials say will keep the aircraft flying through the 2050s are being developed by NAVAIR and the program office.
Additional upgrades including cockpit technology replacements to address obsolescence issues and a broader aircraft modernization plan have been outlined by Walsh.
Nevertheless, the mechanical problems have taken a toll on readiness: the USMC Ospreys are operating at roughly 50 percent mission-capable rates, the Navy aircraft hover around 40 percent and Operating costs per flight hour jumped 30 percent over the past four years.
“We are qualifying a new, more robust design to be fielded in late 2027 to address future safety and readiness of the V-22,” Dougherty said. “We are developing a mid-life service upgrade to modernize the drive system, airframe and avionics. These upgrades will significantly improve readiness while enabling future modernization to keep the V-22 ready to fight well into the 2050s.”
That design features more components made of refined triple-melt steel and is due to result in an unrestricted operational fleet by December 2027 and a complete transition to [the updated] gearboxes for all aircraft by January 2033, the USMC stated in its 2026 aviation plan, also released Tuesday.
A combined fleet of 429 Ospreys
The V-22 Osprey is a joint service tiltrotor that combines helicopter vertical performance with turboprop speed and range. It takes off, lands and hovers like a helicopter, then converts in flight to deliver airplane speed and high-altitude cruise — enabling unique long-range infiltration, assault, search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster relief missions.
The Osprey is a multi-mission tiltrotor aircraft that combines fixed-wing speed and range with rotarywing vertical lift capabilities. This unique capability makes it essential to the USMC, USN, and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) for global combat, humanitarian missions, and carrier onboard delivery.
The three services currently operate a combined fleet of 429 Ospreys—348 for the Marine Corps, 52 for the Air Force, and 29 for the Navy as of June 2025. The combined fleet has logged more than 840,000 flight hours since the Marine Corps began operations in 2007.
Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps
