The V22’s have arrived in Iraq and the final hop from an amphibious assault ship into Iraq — went awry for one of the 10, U.S. military officials said Monday.A malfunction forced one of the 10 Ospreys deployed to Iraq to land in Jordan on Thursday. The Marines flew parts to it from Iraq and repaired it. After it took off again Saturday, the problem recurred, and it had to turn back and land in Jordan again, said Maj. Jeff Pool, a U.S. military spokesman in western Iraq. It arrived at al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq late Sunday afternoon.
Maj. Eric Dent, an Osprey spokesman at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, declined to identify the problem.
“The nature of the malfunction was a minor issue, but our air crews are top-notch when it comes to safety,” he said in an e-mail. “Rather than continue, the air crew opted to land at a predetermined divert location and further investigate the issue.”
Now the burden of proving that the Osprey is safe, reliable and effective in combat is on the North Carolina-based Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, nicknamed the Thunder Chickens. The unit’s mission will be transporting troops and cargo in western Iraq.
It will perform that mission in ways that no other combat units ever have. The Osprey — each plane costs $110 million, including development costs — takes off and lands like a helicopter but tilts its engines forward to fly like an airplane.
Bob Leder, a spokesman for Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopter, which builds the Osprey in conjunction with Boeing, said the two had stockpiled about $100 million in spare parts in the past year in preparation for this deployment and any that will follow. It also sent 14 technicians with the Thunder Chickens, a common precaution for major weapon systems when they deploy.
With the negative press from the fine folks at Time recently, this episode draws additional attention to a deployment that already carries more weight than a first time combat tour for a very new aircraft. Sadly, in my opinion, the heroic efforts of the V22 flight crews are overshadowed in a game of political football being played more to heap bad press on the military than support our country. All I can say from my small corner of the world is God Speed and Good Luck Thunderchickens! Keep ‘em flyin’!
