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thedrifter
03-31-09, 06:39 AM
Osprey hits preparation milestone

By Jim McBride
jim.mcbride@amarillo.com
Publication Date: 03/31/09

The Air Force version of the Osprey has quietly reached a critical milestone toward combat readiness for its special forces units.

Earlier this month, the Air Force formally declared that the CV-22 reached Initial Operational Capability - military-speak for combat readiness - shortly after four CVs completed a long deployment to the West African nation of Mali.

The CV-22

The CV-22 is equipped with sophisticated countermeasures to avoid enemy missiles, terrain-following radar for low-flying approaches, and other advanced avionics systems that allow it to operate at low altitudes over hostile territory

Four CV-22 Ospreys from the 8th Special Operations Group in Florida participated in the aircraft's first operational deployment in November in Bamako, Mali.

Crew members from the 1st Special Operational Helicopter Maintenance Squadron also deployed in late November to Mali, a major maintenance challenge because the CV-22s flew 10,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic to a remote Mali base. Maintenance crews also had to have enough parts and equipment on hand to keep Ospreys flying during the exercise and return home to Hurlburt Field in Florida.

The CV-22 - assembled at Bell Helicopter in Amarillo - also recently participated in Emerald Warrior 09, a multinational training exercise for more than 700 troops in Florida. Crews with CV-22s practiced medical evacuation and troop insertion during the exercise.

Don Arias, a spokesman for Air Force Special Operations Command, said formally declaring the program's readiness means that the Air Force believes all the pieces are in place to support aircraft operations. That includes contractor support to provide aircraft parts and maintenance, crew training and overall logistics.

"It's not any one thing. Basically, it's that it has reached a predetermined set of capabilities that make it worthy for the mission," Arias said. "IOC basically means that it's the first attainment of capability to employ effectively as a weapons system."

Mike Welding, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command, said the program now can eventually move forward into full production.

"Making IOC means we can continue moving forward producing and fielding aircraft for Air Force Special Operations Command," he said.

The Air Force program plans to buy about 50 CV-22s, and Bell Helicopter, which assembles Ospreys for the Marines and the Air Force, has delivered 11, according to information from Bell.

A CV-22 Osprey now costs about $73 million compared to about $63 million for the MV-22, the Marine Corps version, according to figures from Navair.

Last week, the Navy grounded all Ospreys to check for possible problems after loose bolts surfaced in some MV-22 aircraft stationed in Iraq.

All aircraft have been released for service after completing inspections or necessary repairs, Welding said.

The Government Accountability Office released a report Monday that cites some concerns about future V-22 production. Last March, the government signed a $10.4 billion contract with Bell Helicopter to produce 176 Ospreys through 2010. But the GAO report said some aircraft continue to be conditionally accepted with deviations and waivers linked to components like brakes, landing gear, hydraulic hoses, de-icing systems and radar altimeters.

"The demand for spare parts for deployed aircraft and the acceleration of CV-22 production could both pose challenges for ramping up V-22 production from 11 in 2005 to 36 in 2009. For example, lessons learned from the initial Iraq deployment stated that the lead time for and lack of availability of MV-22 repair parts led to high cannibalization rates," the report said.

Ellie