Osprey to Deploy to Iraq

The Marine Corps announced the first operational deployment of the controversial MV-22 Osprey will be a combat tour to western Iraq.

Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway said the New River, N.C.-based “Thunder Chickens” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 will deploy to al Asad air base Iraq in September.

The Corps had declined to reveal the location of its first real-world deployment of the Osprey for months; leading some to speculate the transport would be sent on a lower-profile deployment to guard against programmatic shock-waves should something go wrong.

“This deployment directly supports our number one priority: Marines and sailors in contact at the tip of the spear,” Conway said during a press briefing announcing the decision.

“It’s been a road marked by some setbacks, lots of sacrifices and the success of these Marines standing before you today,” he added, with the Corps aviation chief, Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, standing at his side.

The Corps is set to replace its entire fleet of Vietnam-era CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters with the Osprey, a transport that can fly like a conventional aircraft and tilt its engines to land vertically like a helicopter.

Controversy swirled around the hybrid transport for years after two crashes in 2000 killed 23 Marines. The deadly incidents grounded the transport and sent the program back to the drawing board.

But improvements to the software, avionics, internal components and training helped get the program back on track, satisfying even some of its most skeptical detractors that the plane was ready for prime time.

“We’re very confident that … we’ve identified what the [past] issues were and through a combination of mechanical, software [and] training that we have addressed those issues and that they are no longer problems with the airplane,” Castellaw said.

The Osprey will fly in Iraq with only one rear-mounted gun -- similar to the setup on Marine CH-53E Super Stallions -- and a suite of defensive countermeasures. The CH-46 has two door-mounted 50 caliber machine guns, one on each side.

Osprey pilots say a combination of flight tactics and the Osprey’s impressive speed of over 200mph will keep the transport out of reach from enemy fire.

“The rear-mounted weapon does have a large 180 [degree] arc to the rear of the airplane,” said VMM-263 commander, Lt. Col. Paul Rock, explaining that two Ospreys can support each other with a wide span of interlocking fire support.

“Because of the performance of the aircraft you’re going to get a lot of ‘revenge shots,’” he added. “By the time you see us, we’re past you.”

One major hurdle remains, however, with the Osprey’s first deployment aboard the helicopter carrier ships of a Marine Expeditionary Unit. While the land-based airfields can accommodate the transport’s huge rotors and wings, the tight confines of a carrier deck could prove a difficult fit compared to the smaller Sea Knight.

Marine officials have not decided when the Osprey will deploy aboard a MEU, but testers continue to work out the kinks on shipboard issues, and the Corps is confident it will work at sea.

“Within the last few months we’ve been out on some of the support ships [and] we continue to expand the numbers of ships that it can operate on,” Castellaw said. “We feel real comfortable with its ability to operate in the maritime domain.”

The Corps has so far established five Osprey squadrons, and officials intend to convert two Sea Knight squadron per year to the new transport through 2018.
Military.com