The Commandant of the US Marine Corps is temporarily grounding all of its aircraft following the crash of an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in Australia that killed three troops.
"Gen. Robert B. Neller, of the US Marine Corps, directed US Marine Corps aviation units to conduct an operational reset for a 24 hour-period where no flight operations will take place but no operational commitments will be impacted," the Marine Corps said in a statement.
A Marine MV-22 Osprey crashed last Saturday afternoon around 4pm during an exercise off the Australian coast, killing three service members out of the 26 that were on board.
The reset will take place over the next two weeks depending on the schedules and needs of the Marines' various air units.
Each unit commander will have the flexibility to carry out the pause at his or her discretion within a two-week period, meaning not all aircraft will be grounded at the same time. This will allow Marines currently performing combat missions to continue operating and come up with a plan to ensure that operational commitments are not affected by the pause.
It will "focus on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, standardization and combat readiness," the Marines said, noting that no operational missions would be impacted.
"Pauses in operations are not uncommon and are viewed as a responsible step to refresh and review best practices and procedures so our units remain capable, safe, and ready," the Marine Corps statement said.
The MV-22 -- a hybrid helicopter-turboprop has two engines positioned on fixed wingtips that allow it to land and take off vertically. It can travel much faster and further than a helicopter.
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