"V-22 is proving to be a useful addition to Afghanistan arsenal"

Aviation Week & Space Technology January ““, “0�0 Fleet-Footed V-22 is
proving to be a useful addition to Afghanistan arsenal , Washington
The V-22 Osprey�s range and speed, the twin talents of the aircraft
most heavily promoted by the U.S. Marine Corps, are revealing
themselves in Afghanistan, as readiness and reliability numbers begin
to climb steadily throughout the fleet. Lt. Gen. George Trautman,
deputy commandant for aviation, says the level of hostile action
experienced by the V-22s in Afghanistan is slightly higher than in
Iraq. He calls Afghanistan “a different fight. There�s more kinetic
work to be done. Yet he takes exception to those who criticized the
aircraft�s performance in Iraq. “Uninformed critics said we babied the
aircraft [there],� he says, noting that the V-22 primarily ferried
passengers and cargo, the primary mission of assault-support aircraft.
“Because peace broke out, it didn�t do much in the way of [flying]
into the heart of enemy assaults.� In Afghanistan however, the Osprey
has flown several combat missions, one in support of Special
Operations Command. Just a couple of aircraft in the middle of the
night, [flew directly] into the enemy stronghold,� says Trautman. “It
was a complete mission success.� Additionally, during major operations
in Now Zad, in the Helmand Province, Marine Corps� Ospreys arrived
from different directions at “ a.m. “with speed and range the enemy
didn�t expect,� Trautman says. “The Osprey was the most important
participant in getting a reinforced company into that town in short
order.� More important, the Osprey flew “two loads in the time it took
the CH-5� to do one.� The aircraft has also been beefed up recently
with an all-quadrant gun, which rolls on and off. There are five guns
in theater for “0 V-22s, and Trautman anticipates more in the future.
Marine Corps senior leadership has been building its case against V-22
critics for decades. With operations in Afghanistan clearly
demonstrating the flexibility of the aircraft in combat, the task
stateside is to continue doggedly chipping away at low reliability and
readiness numbers. These efforts are starting to yield results. The
Osprey�s readiness rate has hovered at about 6�% for months, but
operations in Afghanistan have seen that number rising steadily,
according to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, who cites
numbers in the 70-80% range. “It�s on that trajectory� to 90%, he
claimed enthusiastically at the Pentagon last month. Trautman, who is
tracking V-22 readiness rates across the entire fleet, says Block B
aircraft are at 65%. “We can trend up to the 70s [percent range] with
aggressive sparing.� The goal for the Marines is “to drive home
operational readiness and mission dependability,� says V-22 program
manager Col. Greg Masiello. “My top three initiatives are simple:
availability, affordability and execution.� Both Trautman and Masiello
push constantly for improvement, leaning on the Bell-Boeing
manufacturing team to drive more efficiency into the maintenance
process and support increased depot-level work by the Marines.
Masiello calls it “a full-court press on readiness and reduction in
cost,� with a focus on the overall fleet, not just operational
aircraft. “We spend lots of time putting plans in place,� Masiello
says. “It takes discipline and tenacity to make sure we�re executing
to plan.� He is looking beyond the current contract to a second multi-
year contract. “The time to do that is now,� he insists, noting that
thinking strategically, and garnering support for future efforts will
pay off down the road. “I need to continue to purchase [the V-22] and
provide stability in the industrial base and in fielding the
aircraft.� Topping Masiello�s wish list is a new, fully instrumented
test aircraft‹an unusual, and unusually urgent, request. “People ask
why I�m prioritizing a developmental test aircraft� for an aircraft
that has already been fielded, says Masiello. The program office,
based at NAS Patuxent River, Md., already has one structural test
aircraft in the hangar, but it is the No. 8 airplane. “It�s the oldest
aircraft we have flying,� Masiello says. “And it�s exorbitant to
operate,� costing about ““0 maintenance man-hours per flight hour. Why
is a test aircraft so important at this stage in the V-22�s service
life? Block C modifications are already underway, several new
squadrons are being stood up stateside‹MV-22s at Miramar, Calif., and
CV-22s at Cannon AFB, N.M.‹and the aircraft is flying at high tempo in
Afghanistan. “We�re broadening the footprint of the program
operationally,� Masiello says. “That brings some challenges to make
sure we have the right support across the nation and the globe.�
Masiello�s primary focus for today�s fleet is building “a robust
capability throughout our operating bases� and for deployed aircraft.