thedrifter
01-05-08, 07:38 AM
Osprey In Iraq Flies VIPs... When it's Ready to Fly
By David Hambling January 04, 2008
A couple of months ago we saw the much-feted first deployment of the Marines' MV-22 Osprey to Iraq. The Osprey, which takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane, has had a troubled development history -- over 25 years of it –- and critics and supporters alike have been waiting to see how well it will do in action. The answer seems to be mixed; while it has logged over 1,600 hours of flight time without major problems, all is not rosy.
While official reports have been upbeat, trust milblogger Springbored to spot the crucial paragraph in a Dallas Morning News report on the deployment:
Two days later, two Ospreys were included for the first time in a well-established mission called "aeroscout," a sort of roving raid in which troops aboard helicopters search for insurgents by air. The ground troops commander scrubbed the mission when one Osprey needed to turn back to base because one of its four generators failed.
The aircraft's availability rate has not always been up to scratch, according to the Christian Science Monitor:
... daily reports showed that its "readiness rates" had slipped to as low as 40 percent on one day -– 50 percent on two other days. Those lower rates were largely driven by a dearth of replacement parts when Corps officials saw how some components wore out faster in the desert climes of Iraq, where the sand is finer than almost anywhere in the U.S. Now that Marine officials have been able to identify those parts and get sufficient replacements in stock in Iraq, those readiness rates have climbed back up to close to what Corps officials say is a more comfortable 80 percent.
You might expect a new-to-theater system to have some readiness issues. Still, 80% does not sound that impressive; the CH-47 is a twin-rotor helicopter the same size as the Osprey, and even National Guard units can manage 85% in-theater, while others are at 90-99%. And as Springbored notes, "the [MV-22] Iraq deployment has its own special set of maintainer/contractor people. Dedicated spare parts, company experts, you name it, this deployment has it."
Meanwhile, as we reported in November, the earlier Block A MV-22s in the US have been suffering from a series of engine fires. The problem is with the engine air particle separator (EAPS), a blower that keep sand, dust and other damaging particles out of the engine; when it jams, a fire can result. The Block B craft in Iraq have a modification to the EAPS which should solve this. However, this is only a temporary fix. Flight International states:
The flaw, however, will eventually require a permanent design fix, which will heap additional cost on the V-22 programme.
So, after 25 years and $16 billion + of development costs, it's still not quite there. But there is an upside. According to the Dallas Morning News report:
In addition to flying troops and supplies, meanwhile, the Ospreys have become a favorite way to fly for VIPs, such as generals.
Ellie
By David Hambling January 04, 2008
A couple of months ago we saw the much-feted first deployment of the Marines' MV-22 Osprey to Iraq. The Osprey, which takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane, has had a troubled development history -- over 25 years of it –- and critics and supporters alike have been waiting to see how well it will do in action. The answer seems to be mixed; while it has logged over 1,600 hours of flight time without major problems, all is not rosy.
While official reports have been upbeat, trust milblogger Springbored to spot the crucial paragraph in a Dallas Morning News report on the deployment:
Two days later, two Ospreys were included for the first time in a well-established mission called "aeroscout," a sort of roving raid in which troops aboard helicopters search for insurgents by air. The ground troops commander scrubbed the mission when one Osprey needed to turn back to base because one of its four generators failed.
The aircraft's availability rate has not always been up to scratch, according to the Christian Science Monitor:
... daily reports showed that its "readiness rates" had slipped to as low as 40 percent on one day -– 50 percent on two other days. Those lower rates were largely driven by a dearth of replacement parts when Corps officials saw how some components wore out faster in the desert climes of Iraq, where the sand is finer than almost anywhere in the U.S. Now that Marine officials have been able to identify those parts and get sufficient replacements in stock in Iraq, those readiness rates have climbed back up to close to what Corps officials say is a more comfortable 80 percent.
You might expect a new-to-theater system to have some readiness issues. Still, 80% does not sound that impressive; the CH-47 is a twin-rotor helicopter the same size as the Osprey, and even National Guard units can manage 85% in-theater, while others are at 90-99%. And as Springbored notes, "the [MV-22] Iraq deployment has its own special set of maintainer/contractor people. Dedicated spare parts, company experts, you name it, this deployment has it."
Meanwhile, as we reported in November, the earlier Block A MV-22s in the US have been suffering from a series of engine fires. The problem is with the engine air particle separator (EAPS), a blower that keep sand, dust and other damaging particles out of the engine; when it jams, a fire can result. The Block B craft in Iraq have a modification to the EAPS which should solve this. However, this is only a temporary fix. Flight International states:
The flaw, however, will eventually require a permanent design fix, which will heap additional cost on the V-22 programme.
So, after 25 years and $16 billion + of development costs, it's still not quite there. But there is an upside. According to the Dallas Morning News report:
In addition to flying troops and supplies, meanwhile, the Ospreys have become a favorite way to fly for VIPs, such as generals.
Ellie