Editing Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey (section)

===U.S. Air Force===
[[File:CV-22 Formation.jpeg|thumb|left|A pair of USAF CV-22s land at [[Holloman Air Force Base|Holloman AFB]], New Mexico, in 2006|alt= Two USAF CV-22s in a staggered pattern with their rotors vertical preparing to land at [[Holloman Air Force Base]], New Mexico.]]

The USAF's first operational CV-22 was delivered to the [[58th Special Operations Wing]] (58th SOW) at [[Kirtland Air Force Base]], [[New Mexico]], in March 2006. Early aircraft were delivered to the 58th SOW and used for training personnel for special operations use.<ref name="AFLink_20060321">[https://www.af.mil/News/story/id/123017805/ "CV-22 delivered to Air Force"]. [https://www.af.mil/News/story/id/123017805/] ''Air Force Special Operations Command News Service'' via ''Air Force Link (United States Air Force)'', 21 March 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2008.</ref> On 16 November 2006, the USAF officially accepted the CV-22 in a ceremony conducted at [[Hurlburt Field]], Florida.<ref name=HulbertField20060420>[https://archive.today/20121212033233/http://www2.hurlburt.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123032329 "CV-22 arrival"].  ''Hulbert Field, United States Air Force'', 20 April 2006. Retrieved 20 November 2006.</ref> The USAF's first operational deployment sent four CV-22s to [[Mali]] in November 2008 in support of Exercise Flintlock. The CV-22s flew nonstop from Hurlburt Field, Florida, with in-flight refueling.<ref name="AF_mag_Finally" /> AFSOC declared that the [[8th Special Operations Squadron]] reached Initial Operational Capability in March 2009, with six CV-22s in service.<ref name="CV-22_IOC">Sirak, Michael. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130116072158/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2009/May%202009/0509world.aspx "Osprey Ready for Combat"]}}.  ''Air Force Magazine'', Volume 92, Issue 5, May 2009, pp. 11–12. Retrieved 10 May 2009.</ref>
[[File:Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=1|V-22 Osprey USAF video |alt= V-22 Osprey video from the U.S. Air Force]]
[[File:CV-22 refuels from an MC-130J during Freedom Shield 23.jpg|thumb|CV-22 refuels during operation ''Freedom Shield 23'']]
In December 2013, three CV-22s came under small arms fire while trying to evacuate American civilians in [[Bor, South Sudan]], during the [[2013 South Sudanese political crisis]]; the aircraft flew {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Entebbe, Uganda]], after the mission was aborted. South Sudanese officials stated that the attackers were rebels.<ref>Gordon, Michael R. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/22/world/africa/south-sudan.html?emc=edit_tnt_20131221&tntemail0=y&_r=1& Attack on U.S. Aircraft Foils Evacuation in South Sudan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816093743/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/22/world/africa/south-sudan.html?emc=edit_tnt_20131221&tntemail0=y&_r=1& |date=2018-08-16}}" ''[[The New York Times]]'', 21 December 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.armyrecognition.com/december_2013_defense_industry_military_news_uk/four_u.s._soldiers_injured_in_south_sudan_after_their_aircraft_cv-22_osprey_came_under_fire_2212131.html "Four U.S. soldiers injured in South Sudan after their aircraft CV-22 Osprey came under fire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224122754/http://www.armyrecognition.com/december_2013_defense_industry_military_news_uk/four_u.s._soldiers_injured_in_south_sudan_after_their_aircraft_cv-22_osprey_came_under_fire_2212131.html |date=24 December 2013}}. Armyrecognition.com, 22 December 2013.</ref> The CV-22s had flown to Bor over three countries across {{convert|790|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}}. The formation was hit 119 times, wounding four crew and causing flight control failures and hydraulic and fuel leaks on all three aircraft. Fuel leaks resulted in multiple air-to-air refuelings en route.<ref>[http://globalaviationreport.com/2014/08/04/cv-22-crews-save-lives/ "CV-22 crews save lives"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812224859/http://globalaviationreport.com/2014/08/04/cv-22-crews-save-lives/ |date=12 August 2014}}. Globalavaiationreport.com, 4 August 2014.</ref> After the incident, AFSOC developed optional armor floor panels.<ref name="airforcetimes17sep14"/>

The USAF found that "CV-22 wake modeling is inadequate for a trailing aircraft to make accurate estimations of safe separation [distance] from the preceding aircraft."<ref>[http://defense.aol.com/2012/08/30/afsoc-crash-report-faults-understanding-of-osprey-wake-effects/ "AFSOC Crash Report Faults Understanding Of Osprey Rotor Wake"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923033201/http://defense.aol.com/2012/08/30/afsoc-crash-report-faults-understanding-of-osprey-wake-effects |date=23 September 2012}} ''AOL Defense'', 30 August 2012.</ref> In 2015, the USAF sought to configure the CV-22 to perform [[combat search and rescue]] in addition to its long-range special operations transport mission. It would complement the [[HH-60 Pave Hawk|HH-60G Pave Hawk]] and planned HH-60W rescue helicopters, being employed in scenarios where high speed is better suited to search and rescue than more nimble but slower helicopters.<ref>[https://archive.today/20150422213636/http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/04/22/welsh-osprey-combat-search-and-rescue/26176253/ Air Force looking at using Ospreys for search and rescue] – ''MilitaryTimes'', 22 April 2015</ref> In 2019, a plan was formulated for the USAF V-22 to use the AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight terrain avoidance radar, which was tested on the CV-22 at [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin Air Force base]] by 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 February 2019 |title=Air Force V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to receive special forces Silent Knight terrain-avoiding radar |url=https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/16711579/air-force-v-22-osprey-tiltrotor-aircraft-to-receive-special-forces-silent-knight-terrain-avoiding-radar |access-date=11 September 2024 |website=Military Aerospace |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2020 |title=Eglin squadron begins radar system tests on CV-22 |url=https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2278531/eglin-squadron-begins-radar-system-tests-on-cv-22/ |access-date=11 September 2024 |website=Air Force Special Operations Command |language=en-US}}</ref> This radar is used on many Air Force aircraft, such as C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and MH-47 Chinook helicopters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Richard |date=6 December 2023 |title=RTX to continue USSOCOM Silent Knight Radar production |url=https://www.army-technology.com/news/raytheon-to-continue-ussocom-silent-knight-radar-production/ |access-date=11 September 2024 |website=Army Technology |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 29 November 2023, a CV-22B assigned to the US Air Force's [[353rd Special Operations Wing]] crashed into the [[East China Sea]] off [[Yakushima]] Island, [[Japan]], killing all eight airmen aboard. The Osprey, based at [[Yokota Air Base]], was flying from [[Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni]] to [[Kadena Air Base]] on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] Island in clear weather and light winds. An Air Force investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yamaguchi |first=Mari |date=29 November 2023 |title=US military Osprey aircraft with 8 aboard crashes into the sea off southern Japan |url=https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-helicopter-crash-7d704ec5925826593aebcf0e7d1312ca |access-date=29 November 2023 |website=[[AP News]] |language=en |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207083645/https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-helicopter-crash-7d704ec5925826593aebcf0e7d1312ca |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yamagucci |first=Mari |date=4 December 2023 |title=Divers have found wreckage, 5 remains from Osprey aircraft that crashed off Japan, US Air Force says |url=https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-crash-search-a899abbe07447607813302ef06881424 |access-date=4 December 2023 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=12 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212022040/https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-crash-search-a899abbe07447607813302ef06881424 |url-status=live}}</ref> A preliminary investigation has revealed a "potential materiel failure" could have caused the accident.<ref name="AWIN.everstine.2023.12.06"/> On 6 December 2023, the U.S. Navy ([[NAVAIR]]) and the Air Force ([[AFSOC]]) grounded their V-22 fleets. Japan ([[Japan Maritime Self Defense Force|Maritime Self Defense Force]]) also has grounded their fleet.<ref name="AWIN.everstine.2023.12.06">{{Cite news |url=https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/all-v-22s-grounded-probe-finds-materiel-failure-possible |title=All V-22s Grounded, Probe Finds Materiel Failure Possible In USAF Crash |first1=Brian |last1=Everstine |date=6 December 2023 |work=[[Aviation Week Network|Aviation Week Intelligence Network]] |quote=Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) boss Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind ordered the operational stand down of the command's fleet on Dec. 6, shortly after Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) instituted a grounding bulletin for all its V-22 variants. It is the second time this year that V-22s from all U.S. military services have been grounded. The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force had also grounded its V-22s following the Nov. 29 crash. |access-date=25 January 2024 |archive-date=24 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124044124/https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/all-v-22s-grounded-probe-finds-materiel-failure-possible |url-status=live}}</ref> In early March the US and Japan resumed flights of the V-22 with revised maintenance and pilot training focuses but no changes to the aircraft.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/NAVAIR-returns-V-22-Osprey-flight-status/Fri-03082024-0553|title=NAVAIR returns V-22 Osprey to flight status}}</ref> The V-22 was returned to flight with no changes; the part that failed was identified and how it failed determined, although the accident was still under scrutiny.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Eckstein |first1=Megan |last2=Mabeus-Brown |first2=Courtney |last3=Cohen |first3=Rachel |date=8 March 2024 |title=V-22 Osprey fleet will fly again, with no fixes but renewed training |url=https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/03/08/v-22-osprey-fleet-will-fly-again-with-no-fixes-but-renewed-training/ |access-date=27 April 2024 |website=Defense News |language=en}}</ref> A near crash in December 2024 led to another operation pause, over concerns about metal fatigue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-09 |title=Military pauses Osprey flights again after more metal failures are found in near crash in November |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/military-pauses-osprey-flights-again-163007210.html |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-CA}}</ref>