Navy Aims to Deploy Coveted Osprey Into 2060 & Beyond? Modernization Kicks into High Gear

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By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

The Navy is making a new effort to preserve, upgrade and maintain its fleet of Osprey titlrotor aircraft, platforms which have consistently been in high demand from Marine Corps commanders for many years. 

Osprey Helicopter Maintenance & Modernization

Corps leaders have consistently sought greater numbers of Osprey for a wide range of missions and deployments, a scenario which has generated a fast-increasing optempo for the aircraft. For many years now, the Corps has been concerned that the high demand for Osprey has made it difficult to sustain and modernize the fleet.

“The quality of maintenance training curricula, maturation, and standardization has not kept pace with readiness requirements. Current maintenance manning levels are unable to support demands for labor The current V-22 sustainment system cannot realize improved and sustained aircraft readiness / availability without significant change,” the Corps writes in its 2018 Marine Aviation Plan published several years ago. “Depot-level maintenance cannot keep up with demand.”

While the need for Osprey maintenance was identified years ago, the Pentagon just announced a new contract modification to extend a key program which has been underway for several years. 

Common Configuration, Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) Plan

The Navy deal for the Osprey with Bell-Boeing cites the continuation of a key maintenance program for the aircraft begun several years ago called the Common Configuration, Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) Plan.