An enlisted aviator alerted his commanders in an anonymous tip in July that harnesses expected to support airmen inside the CV-22B Osprey, the famous special operations tiltrotor aircraft, may instead be risking their lives in peril. The military says it swears behind the harness and will remain using it after five months and one safety review.
ACTS harnesses for the CV-22 were certified by the Air Force in 2016, and the gear has since been fitted on all Ospreys. First Lt. Melissa Crisostomo, an AFSOC representative, told Air Force Times on Nov. 4 that the design can maintain an airman’s weight when hanging or confined, unlike previous models. The airman claimed that the harness is harsher for Osprey units than the former gunner’s belt, which is attached to points inside the aircraft to keep aviators from falling out.
