Osprey’s Readiness Struggles: 4 Out of 10 MV-22s Aren’t Available for Combat — But Initiatives Are Underway to Improve the Unique Aircraft’s Dependability
Ever since the V-22 Osprey entered service for the first
time in 2007 — nearly two decades after its first flight — the tilt-rotor aircraft
has been in heavy use by the U.S. Marine Corps and has seen action in Iraq,
Afghanistan, Libya and Kuwait. But there is one stubborn problem that continues
to plague the program: readiness.
The aircraft was long delayed in reaching the field due
in no small part to deadly accidents during its development and a hefty price
tag, but when it finally did arrive, the V-22 gave the Marines the versatility
the service craved — an aircraft that could land on the deck of an amphibious
assault ship like a helicopter but speed off like a fixed-wing aircraft when
necessary. While the battles over development and procurement are long over,
the Pentagon continues to struggle with a stubbornly low availability rate for
an aircraft that serves not just the Marines but also the U.S. Navy and the U.S
Air Force.
Currently, four out of 10 of its Ospreys are unavailable
for combat, according to the Marine Corps, which means the program is a long
way from the goal of 80% overall readiness set by former Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis. Several media outlets reported earlier this year that the overall
readiness rate of the aircraft was even more dismal — 52%.
The question of why readiness is so low is complicated,
but the uniqueness of the aircraft may be a large factor.
Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Teal
Group, said that the limited number of users of the V-22 makes it tough to have
an adequate stock of V-22 spares available.
“Normally, a pool of users — services and countries — can
share costs and inventories, but the Marines are the only sizeable user, and
the [Air Force] CV-22 community probably focuses on its own systems and
missions,” Aboulafia said. Even when the Navy gets [Carrier Onboard Delivery]
V-22s, the Marines will still oversee budgeting. Adequate provisioning is
further complicated by the shipborne nature of the platform.”
But the Marine Corps says that while the overall availability rate may be low, training and deployed squadrons have higher overall readiness levels. The service also says it’s taking significant steps to improve the aircraft’s overall readiness.
Better Readiness With Block C
Capt. Christopher Harrison, a Marine Corps spokesman,
said that while the availability of the Marine MV-22 fleet is currently at
around 60%, he also noted that training squadrons and deployed aircraft, which
have a common Block C configuration, regularly report an 80% mission-capable
rate.
The Marine Corps is trying to improve availability with
the V-22 Readiness Program (VRP), which Harrison described as a “top
priority” of the service, Harrison said.
“VRP takes a holistic approach to readiness recovery by
providing contract maintenance support, increased engineering support and
improved training for our maintainers and increased component supply depth and
breadth,” he said in an email response to questions from Seapower.
“VRP also consists of two major aircraft modification plans: The Common
Configuration-Readiness and Modernization [CC-RAM] initiative and nacelle improvements.”
CC-RAM aims to improve on availability rates by
modernizing older Block B aircraft with upgraded avionics and components to
produce the Block C, which are in production now. In addition to having “readiness
enhancements,” making more of the fleet in the Block C configuration
streamlines maintenance and sustainment, Harrison said.
Meanwhile, the nacelle improvement initiative includes
improving wiring harnesses and making the nacelle easier to maintain, he said. “We
believe we’ll see an additive positive effect on readiness by introducing more
reliable systems, streamlined procedures and improved maintainability.”
Analytics in Use to Improve MCR
In addition to those two initiatives, the Marines are using analytics to reduce scheduled maintenance and spot emerging trouble areas, which could improve mission-capable rates by as much as 15%, he claimed.
CC-RAM started in January 2018 and four aircraft are
currently undergoing modifications.
“The Osprey is our most in-demand and deployed aircraft,”
Harrison said. “At any given moment, five to seven VMMs are forward-deployed.
The MV-22 transformed the way the Marine Corps conducts assault support.
Capable of self-deploying, the Osprey’s speed, range and lift allows it to
sustain and move the MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] anywhere in the world,
and it is routinely at center stage for humanitarian assistance operations.”
“The Osprey is our most in-demand and deployed aircraft. The MV-22 transformed the way the Marine Corps conducts assault support.”
Capt. Christopher Harrison, a Marine Corps spokesman
Boeing — which produces the aircraft jointly with Bell —
said in a statement that fleet enhancements and upgrades that are funded
through the Defense Department budget outyears include an improved engine inlet
separation system; a cockpit engine health indicator; component reliability and
safety improvements for swashplate, rudder, conversion actuators, O2N2
concentrator and shaft-driven compressor; and rotor blade time-on-wing
improvements.
Bell Boeing received a performance-based logistics and
engineering (PBL&E) contract in January that includes other initiatives
meant to boost the reliability of the aircraft. “Bell Boeing have the
flexibility to incorporate data analytics into maintenance efforts, yielding
innovative approaches such as predictive and condition-based maintenance to
improve aircraft availability and readiness,” their statement reads.
The company supports three customers: the MV-22 for the
Marine Corps, the CV-22 for Air Force Special Operations Command, and the
CMV-22 for the Navy. In all, more than 350 aircraft are scheduled to be built,
Boeing said.
“Bell Boeing is also executing a supply chain contract,
which includes the purchase, repair, stocking and delivery for more than 200
part numbers,” the statement notes.
A total of 129 Block B Ospreys will get the CC-RAM
upgrade, Boeing said. The last of those aircraft was built in 2011. “Boeing
expects to see a marked improvement in the mission-capable rate of Ospreys that
go through CC-RAM,” according to the company.
The company also expects to see “marked improvement” in
availability rates through the nacelle improvement initiative.
Other investments are being
made to address the problem of the mission-capable rate. Boeing reportedly
spent $115 million and two years transforming a 350,000-square-foot facility
near Philadelphia into a fuselage factory for V-22s. The facility will be home
to the CC-RAM program, making it a key part of the push to improve readiness.