Defence

Some US Marine Corps and US Air Force Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors were returned to flight last week after being grounded when a flight-control computer fault was found during factory testing. While a fix is developed, flight-control computers with an earlier microchip have been pooled and installed in 16 USMC MV-22s and three USAF CV-22s.

The fault in a chip that ensures redundancy in the triplex digital fly-by-wire system was discovered during start-up testing of a V-22 on Bell's Amarillo, Texas assembly line. Analysis found the Texas Instruments chip reacts poorly in cold temperatures.

The chip has been used by flight-control computer supplier BAE Systems since 2003, and was believed to be functionally identical to the previous chip.