The US Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center East has sent the first CMV-22B Osprey out for routine maintenance

With the start of the first Interval 1 scheduled maintenance for the CMV-22B aircraft, the depot now maintains all three variants of the V-22 platform, which also include the Marine Corps MV-22B and the Air Force CV-22.

FRCE (Fleet Readiness Center East) at MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Cherry Point, North Carolina, announced beginning scheduled maintenance on its first US Navy CMV-22B. Despite the fact that the depot received the convertible on August 21, 2024, the news was not made public until November 12. The plant currently maintains all three variants of Ospreys, including the US Marine Corps. MV-22B and the US Air Force CV-22B.

The CMV-22B is the newest variant of the Osprey, which will enter service in June 2020 on the West Coast and April 2024 on the east coastand specially modified for the needs of the Navy. The Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey has been flying since 2007 after it gained initial operational capability, while the Air Force CV-22 variant has been in operational use since 2009.

The current PMI 1 (Planned Maintenance Interval 1) means FRCE assumes “responsibility for the Navy’s East Coast CMV-22B fleet.” Along with units at MCAS New River, North Carolina, and the Air Force Base Hurlburt FieldFlorida, FRCE has so far only serviced the MV-22B and CV-22 variants.

The VRM-50 “Sunhawks” arrived in Fort Worth to preview the UCF vs. TCU game. VRM-50 is the fleet replacement squadron (FRS) for the CMV-22B Osprey aircraft.
169447 CMV-22B SB 50 VRM-50 pic.twitter.com/zJs47a6OeA

— Sam Combs (@pressxtolive) September 15, 2024

It is interesting to note that the aircraft pictured here has registration number 169437, which identifies it as the first operational CMV-22B Osprey delivered to the US Navy on June 22, 2020. This “CODsprey” (as some have nicknamed the new aircraft) is assigned to the Fleet Logistics Multirole Squadron 30 (VRM-30) Titans at Naval Air Station North Island.

Navy CMV-22B Osprey

While the USMC and US Air Force AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) uses its Osprey for much the same functions of transporting troops to combat zones, the Navy uses the CMV-22B for medium-lift air logistics, including the Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) mission.

The main difference between the CMV-22B is the Navy and the Marine Corps MV-22Bwhich basically have the same maintenance requirements are the presence of fuel tank extensions to the front of the sponsons on both sides of the fuselage. This modification allows Navy aircraft to achieve much-needed additional range for COD missions and provides greater mission flexibility compared to the Navy’s older C-2A Greyhound, the Navy says.

The image posted on DVIDS shows a CMV-22B in hangar 1 of the depot. Panels under the engine air intakes, nacelle sides, wing leading edge and wing-to-body fairings have been removed. The air refueling probe is also in the retracted position.

Notably, following the crash of an Air Force CV-22 off the coast of Japan on November 29, 2023, which killed eight people and grounded nearly 400 Osprey aircraft, the Navy increased the deployment of its the rest are C-2A Greyhounds to complete COD missions.

Technical works

FRCE Commander Capt. Randy J. Bertie said the depot’s staff could handle the new workload thanks to their renowned performance record. “FRC East’s maintenance of all three variants of the V-22 Osprey for three different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces truly underscores the reputation of (our) craftsmen, engineers and support staff,” Bertie said.

FRCE V-22 Branch Manager Allen Williamson also said that PMI 1 for the CMV-22B aircraft will accurately reflect the PMI 1 changes already made at MV-22B. FRCE depots at MCAS Cherry Point and MCAS New River have maintained the MV-22B since 2009, while the FRCE unit at Hurlburt Field, Fla., maintains the Air Force’s CV-22 variant.

A US Navy CMV-22B Osprey aircraft landed at Atsugi Naval Base in Japan on November 7. He was put on the forward-deployment carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). pic.twitter.com/68RTuPRc2c

— Ryan Chan 陳家翹 (@ryankakiuchan) November 13, 2024

“These first CMV-22s that we’re going to get have very, very few flight hours, so they’re basically in like-new condition,” Williamson said. “We anticipate that in the future the amount of work will be increased based on the theater in which they will be working.”

With the Navy indicating plans deploy CMV-22Bof “frequently used” aircraft, in “harsh conditions” such as ships at sea, and will inform the condition of these airframes and the nature of repairs they will require in the future.

An interim measure for the team is to approach CMV-22B maintenance with “new eyes” as a new opportunity, rather than an expansion of the usual workload with “previous expectations.”

Dyeing

The FRCE unit at Cherry Point is also perfecting an interesting laser projection system designed to paint unit and service markings on aircraft that will be used on the Navy’s CMV-22Bs during PMI 1. Personnel are also getting used to a different livery and paint. schemes on this variant, which is white in color, as opposed to the standard light gray and dark gray on the MV-22B and CV-22in accordance.

According to Williamson, this is the “biggest difference” in CMV-22B maintenance at the depot level. The new variant has a different paint scheme than the standard MV-22B and, as a Navy aircraft, has different markings than the Marine Corps version.

The “gloss paint” required different preparation and application methods compared to the standard MV-22B, said Paint and Clean head Matt Sinsel. “There will be some differences in the masking process because the paint scheme is slightly higher than the standard gray Osprey,” he added.

However, the team is not new to this, having already used high-gloss paints HMX-1MV-22 Ospreys (Naval Helicopter Squadron 1), as well as other helicopters of the unit. The squadron is responsible for transporting the President, Vice President and other VIPs.

The type of paint can also be found on H-1 Air Force and State Department H-46 helicopters. “But there will be some differences and some training will be required,” Sincel said. The CMV-22B’s unique paint scheme is also “another opportunity” to use the laser projection system introduced by the depot in January to optimize the finishing process. When applying aircraft insignia and other markings to the finished base paint, the system controls the exact placement of markings without the use of paper stencils.