(TheRedAlertNews.com) – In an unfortunate development casting a shadow on the nation’s national security, the Army National Guard has moved to ground its entire helicopter fleet after two recent crashes of Apache helicopters, the latter of which claimed the lives of two pilots.
The chief officer of the Army National Guard has issued an order to temporarily halt operations of its helicopter fleet across all units following two separate crashes involving Apache helicopters earlier in February.
This precautionary suspension, affecting all helicopter divisions within the Army National Guard’s reach across 54 states and territories, was initiated on Monday, the National Guard Bureau announced, cited by The Daily Caller.
During this pause, units are tasked with a thorough examination of their safety protocols and practices in light of the recent accidents involving two AH-64D Apache attack helicopters on February 12 and February 23.
“Safety is always at the top of our minds. We will stand down to ensure all of our crews are prepared as well as possible for whatever they’re asked to do,” Lt. Gen. Jon A. Jensen, the director of the Army National Guard, emphasized in the statement.
Jensen noted Army National Guard helicopter squads are actively deployed around the globe daily.
The casualties of the February 23 crash were identified as Mississippi Army National Guard pilots Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bryan Zemek and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Derek Abbott, who perished during a routine training flight.
Additionally, an earlier incident in February saw a Utah Army National Guard Apache make a crash landing on its side during a training session, injuring both crew members onboard, reported by KUTV, a CBS affiliate in Utah.
Jensen did not disclose the exact duration of this operational halt.
The Army’s Combat Readiness Center is currently conducting investigations into the causes and circumstances surrounding the two Apache accidents, The Military Times reports.
In a related development, the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, primarily used for transport and cargo missions, remains grounded across all military branches that operate the model.
This follows a decision made on December 6 to suspend flights of all Ospreys after a catastrophic accident off the coast of southern Japan on November 29 claimed the lives of eight Air Force personnel.
This incident was part of a series of serious and fatal accidents that led to the grounding of Osprey units by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.
Although the Air Force has pinpointed the material failure responsible, the reason behind the failure is still under investigation.
