CMV-22B Ospreys deploy with Bush despite flight restrictions

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) departs Naval Station Norfolk for a regularly scheduled deployment on 31 March 2026. (US Navy)

When USS George HW Bush (CVN77) deployed on 31 March, it marked the first deployment of the CMV-22B Osprey from the US East Coast.

Captain Matt Lewis, commander of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, told reporters that three CMV-22B Osprey aircraft from Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 40 ‘Mighty Bison' based at Naval Air Station Norfolk were included in Bush's air wing .

V-22s have been subject to flight restrictions by US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) since a 2023 crash and subsequent review unearthed safety and readiness issues, namely in governance, manpower, training, and equipment.

Capt Lewis told reporters that the CMV-22Bs aboard the Bush have had some of their flight restrictions removed due to improvements in their prop-rotor gearboxes. “The complement of the three aircraft that we're going to have in VRM 40 detachment one have essentially fully matured prop-rotor gearboxes. A lot of those restrictions you're talking about have been removed from the aircraft that we're going to be operating with,” Capt Lewis said. “Throughout the workups, we've fully integrated them as far as logistics support for the aircraft carrier. We've already gotten a lot of the reps and sets that we're going to need to leverage on deployment.”

However, Capt Lewis told Janes that lessons learned while integrating the air wing with Bush — as well as pulling from the experiences of Air Wing 8 and 9, deployed with USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) and USS Abraham Lincoln