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Osprey craft have flown in NM skies for nearly 20 years
Members of the 71st Special Operations Squadron perform a CV-22 Osprey training exercise near Albuquerque in 2021.
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The chug-chug-chug of the CV-22 Osprey once again fills the air around Albuquerque as CV-22 flights have resumed at Kirtland Air Force Base after being grounded for months following a crash last year that killed eight U.S. service members in Japan.
The first Osprey, a unique tiltrotator aircraft, arrived at Kirtland on March 20, 2006.
The aircraft first went through Operational Utility Evaluation testing by the Air Force Operations Test and Evaluation Center, and was formally transferred to the 58th Special Operations Wing. The first training flight in Albuquerque skies was on July 19, 2006, Lt. Will Witherow, a spokesman for the Air Force, said in an email.
The Ospreys have had a spotty safety record. Just last week, an Osprey carrying White House staff and government officials from an event in New York was grounded because of a safety issue. Flames were reportedly seen near one of the engines.
There are seven CV-22s at Kirtland, Witherow said.
He said 12 initial qualification pilots are trained to fly the aircraft each year.
Once trained on base, Witherow said the pilots are delivered to Air Force Special Operations, which supports the U.S. Special Operations Command.
The Osprey can fly like a plane and also hover and land like a helicopter. Witherow said the primary mission of the aircraft is covert, clandestine infiltration and extraction missions, and the re-supply of special operations forces around the world.
Why do they train in New Mexico?
It’s “great high-altitude training in a dusty environment,” Witherow said. “There are no plans to move the CV-22 training and we are very happy training at Kirtland.”
