Services prepare to brief Secretary Austin on a plan to get Ospreys flying again

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The military services will take a key step toward getting the V-22 Osprey fleet back in the air as they lay out their plans Friday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding safety concerns stemming from a fatal crash in Japan. The Osprey has been grounded militarywide since Dec. 6, after a November crash in Japan killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members. In the months since, the Air Force has identified what failed on the Osprey but says it does not know why it failed. The services plan to return to flight includes additional safety checks of the known issue and additional precautions in how the Osprey is flown and operated to address the problem.