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thedrifter
03-26-09, 08:48 AM
Marines, Air Force ground Osprey after finding loose bolts; most flying again
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, March 26, 2009

ARLINGTON, Va. — All V-22 Osprey aircraft were grounded earlier in the week, but most were back in the air by Wednesday, said Mike Welding, a spokesman for the V-22 program.

The Marine Corps and Air Force both use the Osprey, which is a tilt-rotor aircraft that can hover like a helicopter and fly like a regular fixed-wing aircraft.

On Saturday, several loose bolts were found in one MV-22 Osprey deployed to Iraq, Welding said. The bolts were part of a component that controls the proprotors.

Welding stressed the aircraft was on the ground at the time, but Naval Air Systems Command grounded all 84 Marine Corps and Air Force Ospreys on Monday as a precaution.

As of Wednesday, 76 Ospreys had been inspected, of which four had loose bolts — all of which were deployed to Iraq, he said. Two of those four aircraft have been fixed and returned to the air.

The Air Force’s 11 Ospreys have all been inspected, and none was found to have any defects, said Don Arias, a spokesman for Air Force Special Operations Command.

Unlike the Marine Corps, all of the Air Force’s Ospreys are located in the United States, Arias said.

The remaining Ospreys were expected to be inspected by the end of Wednesday, Welding said.

The cause of the problem is under investigation, he said.

The Osprey is meant to replace the Marine Corps’ aging CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.

Officials are looking at fitting Air Force and Marine Corps Ospreys with a 7.62 mm minigun with a 360 degree field of fire underneath the aircraft.

The weapon system, which would complement the rear machine gun Ospreys now have, would also include a separate turret with cameras that would allow a controller inside the Osprey to see targets.

The minigun option is still being evaluated and officials have not yet determined when to field it, Arias said.

Ellie

thedrifter
03-26-09, 09:39 AM
Osprey could fly through Yuma's skies
Comments | Recommend
March 25, 2009 - 7:56 PM

A meeting being held tonight to discuss the Marine Corps' new tilt-rotor aircraft probably won't generate a lot of excitement, given that no MV-22 Ospreys are expected to be based here.

Still, it would be worthwhile for Yuma area residents to familiarize themselves with the aircraft since it is likely we will be seeing them in the skies over our area at some point as part of training missions or other military activities.

Actually, the new aircraft - which is part airplane and part helicopter - has already been part of the local military presence at the Marine Corps Air Station at various times because they have been in development for a couple of decades and some testing and training exercises were done locally.

It was thought that some of the Osprey aircraft might be permanently based here, but apparently that will not be the case, according to an environmental impact statement prepared by the Navy.

Instead, eight squadrons will be based at MCAS Miramar near San Diego and two squadrons at Camp Pendleton near Oceanside. MCAS Yuma is listed as a potential alternative site for basing, which is the reason for the meeting tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. at Gila Ridge High School's cafeteria, 7151 E. 24th St.

The Ospreys have not been without controversy during their development, with some questioning its reliability and its safety. But the idea of an aircraft that can fly troops long distances to a combat zone and then convert to a helicopter to land in rugged terrain is appealing, especially for Marine ground units.

Military officials are convinced the Ospreys, which combine the best features of aircraft and helicopters, will be an asset. The Marines have been using them in the Iraq war and they are also expected to be deployed to Afghanistan.

It would not surprise us to see squadrons of Ospreys based at MCAS Yuma at some point in the future. We have the open airspace to handle them and the kind of facilities that would be advantageous for training.

In fact, we are surprised MCAS Yuma was only picked to be an alternative location.

Just as helicopters have become a common sight in our skies, this hybrid will also likely be there.

Ellie