The commander of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) that recently completed a nine-month run in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions said the readiness level of V-22 Ospreys was below average compared to the overall rate for the aviation fleet on the deployment.
Col. William Dunn, who commanded the 22nd MEU in the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, said he is recommending the Marine Corps look at ways to make the tilt-rotor V-22 more reliable. He attributed part of the problem to a lack of understanding of which components are likely to fail. He said it is a common issue with a relatively new aircraft the service is still learning.
“One of our recommendations is to force the system to make the V-22 more reliable,” he said. “The aircraft itself is very reliable. It’s a question of parts. We are still learning which parts are going to break.”
Dunn addressed attendees at an event hosted by the Potomac Institute on Tuesday. Dunn said that the aviation fleet in the MEU had an average readiness rate of 65 percent during the nine months underway, a figure that includes older aircraft like the Harrier jump jets. The V-22’s rate was 61.1 percent, he said.
“If you were to ask me, ‘do I think my aviation readiness was high enough?’ I will tell you no, it was not high enough,” Dunn said. “And I am not saying it’s got to be 100 percent, but I want aviation readiness on the MEUs to be in the high 80 percent.”
“We are not mature enough on the V-22s to get there,” he added.
The V-22s, built in a partnership between Boeing [BA] and Bell Helicopter, a division of Textron [TXT], take off and land like helicopters and fly forward like airplanes. They are designed to rapidly ferry Marines and cargo.
The complex, powerful machines have a much greater range than helicopters and can fly at much higher altitudes. The aircraft took decades to develop and encountered several deadly accidents during development. The V-22s began operations in 2007 and so far the Marine Corps, through Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), has bought more than 200 V-22s.
Despite some of the issues with readiness, Dunn spoke highly of the importance of the Ospreys in MEU operations, touting their ability to quickly fly deep inland to carry out missions and expand the reach of the expeditionary force.
“I would absolutely pound the table on the fact that the V-22 is probably the best asset the Marine Corps has,” he said. “That thing is amazing.”
Since coming into service, the Marine Corps and Air Force, which has bought V-22s in much smaller numbers than the Marines, have experienced accidents with the Ospreys. Most recently, a V-22 lost power while taking off the USS Makin Island (LHD-8) in October, prompting one of the crew to bail out before the pilot was able to restore power and return the aircraft to the ship. Search efforts failed and 21-year-old Cpl. Jordan Spears was declared lost at sea. The Makin Island was operating in the Persian Gulf at the time with the 11th MEU.
Dunn’s 22th MEU departed the United States in February and returned in October.