Members of the V-22 Integrated Product Team, past and present, stand in front of the BUNO 166488 to commemorate the accomplishment of the maintenance milestone of completing the final Block A-to-B modification.
FRCE achieves Osprey maintenance milestone
Fleet Readiness Center East recently marked a milestone in maintenance with the completion of the Block B modifications on the final of 26 Marine Corps Ospreys.
The V-22 Integrated Product Team at Cherry Point completed functional flight checks on Bureau No. (BUNO) 166488 Jan. 23, marking the end of the MV-22 A-to-B (A2B) Modification Program initiative.
This initiative began with the induction of BUNO 165943 of Marine Aircraft Group 26 on June 9, 2009. It was focused on the utilization of depot artisans in conjunction with Bell/Boeing technical support teams to upgrade the fleet’s remaining Block A MV-22s, according to Maj. Garrett Litfin, FRCE MV-22 Program officer.
“It is a big deal that we are delivering our last Block A-to-B modification said,” Sgt. Dylan Griffith, FRCE Marine Liaison for the V-22.
The final modification project included removal of the rear right fuel tank, upgrade of the oxygen system, improved access to the nacelle, structural modification of the blade fold and wing stow function, reworking of the cargo hook and door actuator, additions of wing auxiliary fuel tanks (for about 4,200 pounds of fuel) and mid-wing nacelle wiring.
Griffith, speaking from the perspective of a crew chief, said that the modifications added a high level of capability to the Marine fleet and improves various details that enhance overall sustainability.
Griffith said a few of the modifications such as the change to the nacelle access panels and the upper crew door and added fuel capacity are significant toward sustainment, maintainability and fleet mission capability.
Griffith said the Block B change from banana panels to clam shell panels gives easier access and speeds up maintenance. The new larger crew door improves visibility for the crew chief in back and ensures one can perform certain, and potentially critical, aspects of the mission. And “the more gas we can get in the plane the more we can do with it. The longer range we’ll have,” he said. “It’s an assault support aircraft, so we’re designed to deliver crews to the front lines. …That’s a huge capability increase and it’s definitely something we enjoy.”
The alterations provide the fleet with more commonality between aircraft on the flight line, and reduces sustainment costs for the Marines.
Litfin said, prior to the A2B modification initiative, the Fleet Marine Force had Block A, B and C MV-22 aircraft on their flight lines.
Richard Fescoe, Boeing Program Manager for A2B modifications, said the A2B modification Airframe Change reduced a configuration management issue by eliminating the Block A configuration from the U.S. Marine Corps inventory and will keep these aircraft in the fight for years to come.
“As the era of the V-22 A2B modification comes to a close, FRC’s V-22 line is looking forward to continuing to build our relationships with supporting agencies such as Bell/Boeing who were instrumental in the success of the A2B project,” Litfin said, “as we exclusively focus on V-22 planned maintenance interval in an effort to increase throughput for the fleet while driving down costs.”
BUNO 166488 returned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 in February 2019.
Fleet Readiness Center East Marine Flight Crew conducts preflight checks to prepare BUNO 166488 for flight check, on the way to returning the aircraft back to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162. The aircraft is the last of 26 modified by FRC East.