AFSOC CV-22 Prepare to Deploy Abroad, USMC MV-22 Suffers Engine Fire at Fairchild AFB | Aviation

The CV-22 deployment would be the first since the 2023 fatal crash and the subsequent limited operations. The MV-22 fire happened on the ground at Fairchild AFB and was quickly extinguished without injuries or damages.

The head of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Lt. Gen. Michael E. Conley, announced that the command will deploy a number of CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor on operations abroad for the first time since last year’s fatal crash in Japan. The info was released during the 2024 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, where Conley spoke with reporters.

In the same hours, an MV-22 of the U.S. Marine Corps experienced an engine fire on the ground at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, on Sep. 18, 2024. The personnel safely escaped the aircraft and no injuries or damage were reported.

The CV-22’s new deployment

Almost a year after the fatal crash in Nov. 2023, the Ospreys are still undergoing a phased return to the flight activities, focusing on training. The tiltrotors resumed flying in May, with restrictions requiring the V-22 to operate within 30 minutes of a safe landing zone.

This restriction will reportedly be applied also during the deployment, although it was defined as a…