Navy sailors train with Marines for CMV-22B Ospreys

Navy sailors joined Marines in training on the CMV-22B Osprey aircraft after the Navy received its first of 39 Ospreys, the Marines announced on Monday.

Navy personnel are currently deployed in the Middle East with Marine Medium Trirotor Squadron 166, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

The sailors are learning the intricacies of flying and maintaining the CMV-22B Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft designed to ferry personnel and supplies on and off aircraft carriers.

The plane/helicopter hybrid will replace the legacy C-2A Greyhound, in use since 1964, throughout the Navy.

The squadron currently serves as the Aviation Combat Element for Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command. Navy personnel within the squadron are there to gain a better understanding of the plane, and achieve qualification ratings.

"When we transition to the CMV-22B, we will fully understand the requirements and nuances of day-to-day Osprey operations and maintenance," Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 2nd Class Corey Black said in a press release.

"It is a rare opportunity for Sailors in the aviation field to deploy with our Marine brothers and sisters," Black said.

The aircraft, which can take off and land as a helicopter, as well as transit as a turboprop aircraft, is capable of carrying 6,000 pounds of cargo -- enough to transport the engine power module of an F-35 fighter plane -- and its increased fuel capacity allows it to travel over 1,150 nautical miles.

The Navy projects an inventory of 44 CMV-22Bs. The first 39 are part of a $4.2 billion contract with Bell Boeing, announced in 2018.

"The Navy sent us some of their best sailors," Lt. Col. James Ford, Aviation Combat Element commander, said of the deployment. "These sailors have seamlessly filled many manpower gaps in our maintenance department, which increased our crisis response readiness."

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

How the US Air Force is making it easier for aircraft maintainers to see at night
Wright-Patterson AFB OH (AFNS) Sep 09, 2020
We all know that working in the dark with insufficient lighting makes the task that much more cumbersome. Good quality lighting is critical for maintainers when repairing an aircraft on the flightline. The U.S. Air Force has an inventory of approximately 5,500 four-wheel diesel light carts that provide flightline and perimeter illumination. This lighting is a necessity for aircraft maintenance, troubleshooting and outside lighting to secure the outskirts of deployed/contingency locations. Re ... read more