Here come the lawsuits.

Looks like the Ospreys have found there place

V-22 ‘Ready to Go Fast’ in Afghanistan
June 01, 2010
Military.com|by Ward Carroll

(Editor's Note: Military.com editor Ward Carroll and managing editor Christian Lowe are currently embedded with American troops in eastern Afghanistan.)

BASTION AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN -- The pilots of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 have a simple question they ask the rest of the crew when they're about to transform the MV-22 Osprey from a helicopter to a propeller-driven airplane: "Are you ready to go fast?"

And when the twin prop-rotors twist to their fully forward position, the Osprey is going fast -- rapidly accelerating to speeds of 250 knots or more. That speed along with the airplane's ability to transit at high altitude are the performance characteristics that kept the V-22 program going in spite of a troubled developmental history, a period of over two decades that saw the loss of four Ospreys and 30 lives.

During those years, the V-22 program was nearly ended twice. The Osprey became synonymous with words such as "troubled" or "plagued," and press coverage generally presented the program as an expensive experiment in futility that was kept chugging along only by well-connected defense firms and pushy Marine Corps leadership.

Related slideshow:

But while those demons might still live among the terminal non-believers -- the defense industry pundits and obdurate bloggers who've elevated criticizing the V-22 into an art form -- there are none to be found on this sandy, wind-swept flight line that the "Raging Bulls" call home. In fact, the vibe that permeates the tiltrotor squadron's day-to-day operations is one of normalcy.

The oil stains that marked where the previous tenant's helicopters were parked have been replaced by scorch marks caused by the hot exhaust from the Osprey's engines. The factory-fresh shine is long gone and in its place is evidence of a well-used and battle-tested asset, not unlike the CH-53E Super Stallions parked nearby. Now sand-blasted prop-rotors and fluid streaked nacelles tell of an airplane that is as normal a presence as it is technologically and tactically innovative.

And for an airplane that came close to cancellation, that might be the best news of all.

"Our tasking authority treats us as just another assault support asset," said Lt. Col. Ivan Thomas, VMM-261's commanding officer. "If the mission requires speed and range, then they'll call us, but not every mission is like that."

Thomas explained how, for instance, troop inserts during the recent Marjah campaign in Helmand province were better suited for heavy-lift Super Stallions because of the short distances involved.

"We'd barely get our landing gear up and we'd be there," Thomas explained.

For more information on Blackhawk’s tactical, military, and law enforcement equipment please click here.

But as the Marjah battle wore on, the MV-22 was called on for resupply missions into specific high-threat areas because of its ability to get into and out of landing zones quickly. Thomas explained how squadron Osprey pilots performed a spiral approach from high altitude that kept their airplane over a safe area while allowing them to get on deck quickly.

"And on the way out, we used our rate of climb and speed to avoid the [rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms] threat," he said.

Another sign of the Osprey's coming of age is the pilot roster. Along with veteran aviators with thousands of hours in everything from the CH-46 to the F/A-18, Thomas has an unprecedented eight junior pilots -- "Osprey Babies" -- who've never deployed with anything but the MV-22.

Typically, Ospreys fly between combat outposts and forward operating bases delivering supplies and troops -- both day and night. The two-ship sorties last up to six hours, with the MV-22s returning frequently to Bastion for refueling.

Miilitary.com joined a section of Osprey for a recent daytime mission. During the flight, the two Ospreys -- codenamed Avalanche 11 and 12 -- conducted a variety of supply runs and personnel transfers between Bastion; the Marine Corps' light armored reconnaissance base at Payne to the south; the mountainous combat outpost at Golestan in the north; and the British Army's forward operating base near the village of Lashkar Gahn to the east.

Each leg presented different challenges to the pilots, Capt. Kevin Clark, a former Sea Knight pilot with many MV-22 hours under his belt; and Capt. Whalen Labhart, one of the squadron's "Osprey Babies" who became a Marine Corps pilot after eight years in the Navy as a fire-control technician aboard destroyers. Labhart would be at the controls of the aircraft for most of the nearly four-hour mission.

The first leg of the event took a local USMC brigadier general between Bastion and Payne. During the approach to Payne's gravel landing zone, Staff Sgt. Charles Klahn moved the ramp-mounted machine gun into the ready position as Sgt. Edwin Partridge and Cpl. Kade Miller relayed distance above the ground to the pilots and made sure the airplane was clear of obstructions.

The LZ at Payne was dusty but not enough to cause the "brownout" condition that completely robs pilots of an external visual reference. (That condition allegedly caused a recent hard landing in Afghanistan by a CV-22 -- the Air Force Special Operations variant of the airplane -- that destroyed the Osprey and caused three fatalities.) Visibility close to the ground was further hampered by high winds across the desert that created a localized sandstorm.

Once safely on deck, the general and his party got off and a handful of "Space A" travelers boarded: more evidence of how routine the Osprey's presence in the theater has become. The riders plopped themselves onto the troop seats with no more amazement than they might have had boarding their local city bus.

Subsequent legs of the mission used a wide range of the Osprey's performance capabilities. The high RPG-threat environment around Golestan demanded that Labhart execute a spiral approach, a tight turning profile that kept the Osprey over the objective while quickly diving down from high altitude to minimize the time the enemy might have to shoot. The landing pattern around Bastion was more permissive and so the two Ospreys did more traditional helicopter-style straight-in approaches.

Meanwhile back at Bastion's flight line, the maintenance crews were busy, toiling in the blazing sun and gusty winds. It was more than 110 degrees on the ramp. Several of the broken airplanes were missing their prop-rotors and looked as if they wouldn't be airworthy again for some time. Nearly all of the "down" birds had the panels around the engines open with technicians digging among the wire bundles inside.

"Just like in Iraq, we're hard on wiring systems," Thomas said. "Our avionics guys have become very good at going pin-to-pin to figure out what's wrong, but it's not an easy problem."

The fact the nacelles move put the tilt in tiltrotor, but that movement can also cause the tightly packed wire bundles within to rub against each other and chafe -- a big problem because of the potential for electronic shorts and subsequent fire.

Sand intrusion has also forced the squadron mechanics to change engines -- 16 so far -- at a higher than normal rate. But Thomas claimed that because of good support from engine-manufacturer Rolls-Royce and the Marine Air Wing, the squadron hasn't missed any assignments.

"We've also gotten good at changing engines on the flight line," he said.

While admitting that the Raging Bulls' maintenance team doesn't need to worry about job security, Thomas said his "mission capable rate" was generally at 75 to 80 percent, which meant nine or 10 of the 12 Ospreys he had at his disposal at Bastion were ready to go at any time.

Sixty miles to the south, Avalanche 11 started the last leg of the day. After the MV-22s lifted from the LZ and turned north, Capt. Clark (who took the controls after growing weary of spending the bulk of the mission watching the more junior pilot in the left seat fly) once again keyed the intercom and asked the rest of the Marines aboard the question that all Osprey crews are eager to hear: "Are you ready to go fast?"

(Editor’s note: In other V-22 news, the Associated Press is reporting that yesterday the downwash from the prop-rotors of an Osprey landing at a Staten Island Park caused tree branches to fall and hit a crowd of about 150 people watching a Memorial Day demonstration, leaving 10 people with cuts and other minor injuries. Check Military.com's "Shock and Awe" video channel for associated footage.)

© Copyright 2010 Military.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Military.com Networking Sites
Become a Military.com fan on Facebook
Follow Military.com on Twitter