From concept to reality: MV-22 "Osprey" proves itself in combat, takes place as Corps' premiere medium-lift asset

Photo By Master Sgt. Steven Williams | Lance Cpl. Cameron Staley, a Danville, Ill. native, working as a bulk fuel specialist...... read more read more

Photo By Master Sgt. Steven Williams | Lance Cpl. Cameron Staley, a Danville, Ill. native, working as a bulk fuel specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), rushes to deliver gas to an MV-22 Osprey April 24 as it heads out on the day's missions.  see less | View Image Page

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

06.14.2010

Story by Cpl. Ryan Rholes 

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – The MV-22 Osprey, after more than 20 years of development, testing, failure and success, is wrapping up its first combat deployment in Afghanistan, with solid proof it is ready to replace the Corps’ aging fleet of CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters as the maritime forces’ go-to medium-lift aircraft.

The U.S. government first realized the need for an aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and fast flying in the early 1980s and developed the Joint-Service Vertical Take-Off/Landing Aircraft Experimental program in 1981. Bell Helicopter partnered with Boeing Vertol and submitted a plan for an enlarged version of a Bell prototype. Officials designated the JVX aircraft the V-22 Osprey a few years after the initial proposal.

Pilots completed successful helicopter-style, airplane-style and sea-trial flights with the Osprey in 1989 and 1990, but lost two prototypes in the following two years, casting doubt over the program. After a year of redesign, the Osprey reemerged with several new safety features and returned to the sky. The program progressed without incident until another two fatal crashes in 2000 that again grounded the revolutionary aircraft. The resilient bird underwent heavy improvements and eventually received approval from the Pentagon in 2005 to get into action.

Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 deployed with the aircraft for seven months to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq in 2007, where it flew more than 2,500 successful missions in Al Anbar province. Although skepticism remained that success in Iraq would translate to success in Afghanistan, the aircraft would have a chance to prove itself sooner than most expected.

In 2008, most of the Marines serving with VMM-261 had never actually seen an Osprey, according to Lt. Col. Anthony Bianca, the squadron’s first commanding officer. In 2009, the squadron taxied an Osprey down their runway in New River, N.C., for the first time and just a few months after that, the squadron was on its way to war.

On Nov. 6, 2009, under the command of Bianca, several VMM-261 Ospreys flew nearly 600 miles in groups of three from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan in the Indian Ocean to the air field aboard Camp Bastion. Since arriving, the Osprey has filled a myriad of roles. From troop transport and routine cargo drops, to participating in clandestine special operations drops, this bird has taken on its fair share of tasks.

“The way an aircraft is used anywhere is going to depend on the theater and needs of the theater commander,” said Lt. Col. Ivan Thomas, the current commanding officer of VMM-261. “We have been used, very effectively, in a general support role for a lot of the long-range missions that require coming in and out of landing zones verses runways. We have been to Bagram, the eastern border with Pakistan, the Western border with Iran and the southern border with Pakistan.”

Thomas is an experienced pilot who has flown both the Sea Knight and the Osprey in operational environments. He flew “Phrogs” in Kosovo, Africa, Albania and Iraq. Although a diehard fan of the older aircraft, he readily admits that its replacement is bringing some very useful assets to the fight, especially its increased range.

That increased range is due in part to the aircrafts ability to fly higher than the CH-46. The Osprey’s increased altitude – flying at an average height of 10,000 feet compared to the Sea Knight’s average 1,000 feet – helps reduce fuel burn rate and allows pilots an opportunity to fly above bad weather and dust storms, according to Thomas. It also keeps the aircraft outside the range of small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. And although the Osprey usually soars around 10,000 feet, it can reach altitudes of up to 25,000 feet.

However, the Osprey’s ability to level off in the clouds is not the only leg up it has on the CH-46. The aircraft is also capable of hauling heavier loads for longer distances, which means more armed Marines or more much-needed cargo delivered farther away or to higher mountain posts.

“The Osprey can fly twice as far, twice as fast and with three times the payload,” said Thomas.

And those stats may be outdated. Since arriving in Afghanistan, the MV-22 Osprey has received a software upgrade and changes to operational guidelines that have seriously increased its capabilities. The aircraft’s new software boosts its already impressive speed from 245 knots to between 270 and 275 knots, or more than 300 miles-per-hour, while flying straight and level. The Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization program now allows Osprey pilots to take off at 30 degrees of angel, which provides a 50-percent increase over its previous 20-degree cap. Although these changes allow the Osprey to get off the ground faster and cut down on travel time between destinations, the increased capabilities have not caused any changes in the squadron’s doctrine.

“These are great improvements and great capabilities, but it has not dictated that we change the way we fly our aircraft. This deployment has really validated the training [tiltrotor] squadrons receive at Mojave Viper,” said Thomas. “We are definitely going to concentrate on and reinforce our techniques, tactics and procedures before our next deployment because they have proven effective.”

The squadron has flown about 30 named missions since arriving, in addition to their daily grind of fulfilling assault support requests – all without any serious mishaps. Operating at such a high capacity and in such an austere, harsh environment has also given the squadron ample time to develop and adapt their maintenance routines. The increased heat, high winds and fine dust of Afghanistan cause increased wear on all types of aircraft. The Osprey, which has hundreds of miles of wire running through it, has experienced a few unique problems here.

“The MV-22 is fly-by-wire…it’s a computer,” said Thomas. “Rather than use a push-pull rod that might be hydraulically actuated, you are feeding information to a computer that tells flight controls where to go, which means there is a lot of communication going through a lot of wires. So with the MV-22, there are a lot of wiring issues.”

VMM-261’s avionics technicians have, in the words of their commander, become “experts,” with the aircraft’s wiring system. They can quickly “shoot” wires, which means they can check wires from start to finish for the tiniest breaks and rubs that could potentially cause future issues.

However, the avionics Marines are not the only Marines putting in overtime to keep the aircraft up. The squadron performs an average of 7,500 maintenance man hours each month on its fleet of aircraft. It takes the full maintenance team to keep this squadron at its high rate of readiness.

“The real heroes are the Marines who work on the aircraft,” said Thomas. “They are the ones who figure out how to adapt the maintenance and to ensure the aircraft are ready to go.”

Keeping this aircraft “ready to go,” isn’t as easy as it sounds because pilots, even though fly these aircraft well, do fly them hard.

“One thing I make sure I tell people is that we are not babying [the Osprey] at all,” said Brig. Gen. Andrew W. O’Donnell Jr., the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) commanding general who is now in charge of all aviation assets in Regional Command (South West) in southern Afghanistan. “That aircraft is landing in the dustiest zones, it flies at night, it flies in low light and it does everything everyone else is doing, if not more, because of its capability.”

Although the environment places increased strain on the aircraft and causes accelerated engine wear, the problems are not exclusive to the Osprey.

“The environment is extremely tough on all the gear that’s out here and it’s the same across the entire MAGTF,” said O’Donnell. “Whether you’re talking about a generator, an MRAP or even tents, we have these storms come in, constant extreme temperatures and the moon dust is taking its toll on everything.”

However, the Osprey and its crew have more than increased maintenance requirements to worry about while operating in such a hostile environment.

The Marines of VMM-261 have often found themselves on the front lines, dropping NATO forces into hostile zones or flying holding patterns above conflicts waiting to swoop in with quick reaction forces.

“Everywhere we go where the threat has dictated, we have had escorts,” said Thomas. “Whether it was Harriers or Hornets, Hueys or Cobras, those guys are dedicated to observing objective areas prior to our arrival, and will clear the zone and provide security for us to come in.”

Afghanistan has been a learning curve for the still young airframe. However, it is undeniable that the Osprey is performing on par with the other aircraft on the flight line. Although it had a rocky beginning, the Osprey has settled into a groove and is performing at an exceptional level in one of the toughest regions in the world.

Marines are America’s force in readiness and will find themselves called upon to go into the toughest places on the shortest notice and the Osprey will follow, dropping personnel and supplies into the most dangerous and devastated regions in the world. According to Thomas, the aircraft is ready to fulfill that role and has shaken its stigma as an oddity. It has taken its place as the Corps’ premiere medium-lift aircraft.