We have been lucky to have been granted the opportunity to have a QnA with an active duty MV-22 Crew Chief serving with VMM-265 of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW). The person in question requested that their name be omitted.
1) Did you aspire to be a pilot or aircrew when you were younger? I did aspire to be a pilot when I was younger. Like most kids, I wanted to be a Jet Pilot. But I lost sight of that goal in college and chased money. By the time I was joining, I was too old to qualify for being a USMC pilot, so I was told about enlisting as air crew. 2) In terms of versatility and importance to US Forces, which would you say is better, the UH-60, or the MV-22? So this is a tricky question - because the needs of the military are shifting. The 60 has a long history of fantastic, versatile service. It is employed across the military successfully, both afloat and ashore. It has been deployed in multiple theaters in multiple roles. That said, the capabilities of the MV-22 are currently unmatched anywhere in the rotary wing world. Period. The range, speed and capacity of the aircraft is second to none. Speed, Range and Payload - these are the three main measurements assault support aircraft should be judged by. Any aircraft that can carry more (there are really only two, the CH-53 and CH-47) are slower, fly lower and carry less fuel. No other rotor wing platform can fly as fast, high or far as we call - "Faster, higher, deeper." In the big picture the MV-22 is the most capable platform currently available to the US government. But there is still a lot of growing pains - leading into the third question. 3) For you, would you say the MV-22 is a relatively easy aircraft to maintain, or can it be difficult at times? The aircraft is a first of its kind. Helicopters are inherently more complex than fixed wing air craft. Where a jet is basically two engines strapped to a pilot, a helicopter is an engine being feed into multiple gear boxes redirecting the power from one direction into multiple others. The MV-22 is a one of a kind, and first of its kind aircraft. - First Tilt-Rotor aircraft - First fly by wire military assault support aircraft. The second factor - fly by wire - is incredibly important, because no longer are gas gauges and mechanical controls used to fly the aircraft, but sensor inputs in controls are routed through computer systems and translated into flight control inputs. What this means is a significant amount of electrical circuitry and wiring on the aircraft. Sensors upon sensors, logging all the information concurring during the flight. A crew can fly the aircraft for 7 hours with no indications of anything happening in the cockpit. But when the aircraft is hooked up to a ground station, it will be down for XYZ. To answer your question - the aircraft was engineered. Not designed for maintenance. 4) A best memory you may have during training/operations? The best memories come from the men serving with you. We have a saying - the days are long, but the years are short. Or put another way - The bad outnumbers to good, but the good outweighs the bad. For me, my favorite memories involved cloud surfing over the open ocean with a falling sun casting a barrage of colors across the clouds. Flying nights across the plains of Africa contouring the landscape. Shooting guns and riding the lightning. But all of those things pale in comparison to the bonds and friendships you develop. 5) Favourite thing about the aircraft? The capabilities. People like to shit on it because its fashionable. A lot of the flak either comes from the legacy flying community (Mainly Vietnam Veterans) that flew and fought with the CH-46. This aircraft is a game changer, there is a reason we have been so reluctant to sell it to other nations, because it completely changes the game. 6) Do you see the USMC, or the US Armed Forces in general retiring the V-22 any time soon, or is research for a replacement for when the time comes undergoing? Not anytime soon. The USMC developed the vertical envelopment doctrine - the use of rotary wing aircraft to insert ground forces - and its been one of the corner stones of our ship to shore capabilities. There is nothing to replace it with currently, the V-280 is still at least 10 years from deployment, and will not be capable of carrying what an Osprey can. Tilt-rotor technology is akin to going from propeller to jet, it's that big of a deal. 7) How well do you think the V-22 has revolutionised the insertion and extraction of troops on the ground? As stated earlier, the USMC created this doctrine in Korea - the V22 has just improved the numbers. 8) How well suited is the MV-22 for MEDEVAC? Are there any MEDEVAC specific facilities that help make it a suitable aircraft for this role? It is one of our core missions. 9) How much hangar time is required after each sortie, and what checks are carried out? Totally dependent on the air craft. Some are fighters, others have an issue every flight. Technically, once the post flight inspections are done, the air craft can be certified safe to fly. 10) If you could crew any other aircraft in USMC service, past or present, what would it be and why? It would have to be a C-130, they get to go everywhere! They never have to stay aboard a boat, and every branch, and nearly every country uses them - so parts and maintenance is a breeze. And most importantly, as crew chief of a C-130, they only focus on flying and not maintenance. By Arjun Iyer and Connor Woodward
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Following the first ever F-35 crash on 28th September, the Pentagon has made the decision to ground the global fleet of F-35s.
The purpose of this grounding is to have their fuel tubes removed and replaced. A MoD spokesperson has said that the UK will pause some F-35B flying as a precautionary measure whilst an ongoing investigation is being undertaken. The trials going on right now over in the United States of America on HMS Queen Elizabeth are to proceed as they are, to keep the program on track. Joe Della Vedova, a spokesman for the F-35 program has said; "The action to perform the inspection is driven from initial data from the ongoing inspection of the F-35B that crashed in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina" The inspections are hoped to be complete in the next 24 to 48 hours, allowing F-35 operations and sorties to proceed as they were. By Connor Woodward The UH-60 Blackhawk is a four-bladed, twin engine, medium-lift utility helicopter. The UH-60A entered service with the United States Army’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division in the June of 1979. It replaced the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) as the Army’s main tactical transport helicopter. It was first used in combat during the invasion of Grenada in 1983, and in the invasion of Panama in 1989. The Gulf War of 1991 saw the UH-60 participate in the largest air assault mission in US Army history, with over 300 Blackhawks involved. Two UH-60s (89-26214 and 78-23015) were shot down, both on February 27th, while performing Combat Search and Rescue of downed aircrew.
The UH-60 comes in many, many variants and many different modifications. The US Army Blackhawks can be fitted with stub wings to carry external stores or additional fuel tanks. The UH-60 features tricycle type wheel landing gear, with two main wheels mounted either side of the main cabin and a tailwheel towards the rear of the tail rotor boom, four-blade main and tail rotors, and a large stabilizer at the base of the tail rotor. The Blackhawk has a long, low profile, to meet the Army’s requirement for transporting within a C-130 Hercules. UH-60A Blackhawk – Original US Army version. Crew of four and up to 11 troops. Equipped with T700-GE-700 engines. Produced 1977-1989. The US Army is equipping UH-60As with the more powerful T700-GE-701D engines and upgrading A-models to UH-60L standard. UH-60L Blackhawk – UH-60A with upgraded T700-GE-701C engines, improved gearbox durability and an updated flight control system. Produced 1989-2007. UH-60Ls are also being equipped with the T700-GE-701D engine. UH-60Q Blackhawk – Modified UH-60A for medical evacuation. (DUSTOFF) HH-60G PAVEHAWK The HH-60G Pave Hawk is a derivative of the UH-60 Blackhawk in service with the United States Air Force, and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE (Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment) electronic systems. The HH-60Gs core mission is the recovery of personnel under hostile conditions, including combat search and rescue (CSAR). Pave Hawk features upgraded communications, an integrated inertial navigation/GPS/doppler navigation system, satellite communications, secure voice and Have Quick (ECM resistant, frequency hopping) communication system. Pave Hawk has an automated flight control system, NVG cockpit lighting, FLIR, colour weather radar, RWR, infrared jammer, countermeasure dispensing system, a retractable in-flight refuelling probe and internal auxiliary fuel tanks. There are two crew served 7.62mm mini-guns or .50inch machine guns mounted either side of the cabin. To improve transport by cargo aircraft and for shipboard operations, all HH-60Gs have folding main rotor blades MH-60R/MH-60S SEAHAWK Able to deploy aboard any air-capable ship within the United States Navy, the Seahawk can handle ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare), ASUW (Anti-Surface Warfare), SAR (Search and Rescue), CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue), VERTREP (Vertical Replenishment) and MEDEVAC (Medical Evacuation). The Seahawk features a hinged tail boom, to reduce its footprint aboard ships. It also features smaller cabin doors and modified landing gear, with the rear wheel positioned further forward on the tail boom compared to Blackhawk or Pavehawk. MH-60R – Originally known as “LAMPS Mark III Block II Upgrade” when development began in 1993. The MH-60R replaced the SH-60B and was formally deployed to fleet squadrons of the US Navy in 2006. Its sensors include the ASE Package, MTS-FLIR, AN/APS-147 multi-mode radar/IFF, advanced airborne fleet data link, and more advanced airborne active sonar. Offensive capabilities are improved with the addition of the new MK-54 air launched torpedoes and Hellfire Missiles. Squadrons that transitioned to the MH-60R were re-designated HSM (Helicopter Strike Maritime Squadrons). MH-60S – Deployed on aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and fast combat support ships, its missions include VERTREP (Vertical Replenishment), MEDEVAC, SAR, CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) ASUW (Anti Surface Warfare), ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), Maritime Interdiction and Special Warfare Support. The MH-60S can deploy the AQS-20A Mine detection system and ALMDS (Airborne Laser mine Detection System). It can be fitted with a nose mounted FLIR turret. By Ewan Johnstone At approximately 1145 hrs Friday 28th September, a USMC F-35B crashed just 5 miles from MCAS Beaufort. The aircraft belonged to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501).
This marks the first ever crash in the entirety of the F-35 program, and is deemed a class A incident - meaning $2 million+ damages or the complete loss of an aircraft is the result of the mishap. The pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft, and his condition remains unknown whilst he is under evaluation from medical personnel. Marines from the station are working with local authorities to secure the site and keep the area safe. The cause of the crash is unknown and currently under investigation. By Connor Woodward |
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