NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Department of the Navy's V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275) welcomed its new program manager July 9 during a change of command ceremony here at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

More than 300 guests gathered in the 1st floor atrium of the Rear Adm. William A. Moffett Building witness Marine Corps Col. Dan “Smokey” Robinson become PMA-275’s 11^th program manager, taking over leadership responsibilities from Col. Greg Masiello.

This is a return to the V-22 program for Robinson, who previously served in the program office as the MV-22 Integrated Production Team lead. He has spent the past three years at the Pentagon, working on the Joint Staff, and most recently as military assistant to Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.

“I’m looking forward to my time here,” Robinson said. “Mas[iello], has left some big shoes to fill, but I know I am walking into a organization of professionals dedicated to the continuing success of the V-22 program.”

The ceremony was highlighted by keynote speakers Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, deputy commandant for Aviation, and Rear Adm. Paul Grosklags, the program executive officer for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission Programs (PEO(A)), which manages PMA-275.

Robinson is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering. After graduation from the academy, he was designated a Naval Flight Officer and assigned to El Toro, Calif., for F/A-18 training. Additional assignments include Beaufort, S.C., as a squadron Weapons and Sensors Officer; Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where he completed  Naval Test Pilot School, and was assigned to Aircraft Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23; the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265); and PMA-275.

“Mas has been responsible for many noteworthy accomplishments as the leader of this program,” Robinson said. “I see this as a great opportunity to build on these successes and ensure the V-22 is the aircraft of choice well into the 21^st century.

During Masiello’s four-year tenure at PMA-275, he oversaw a number of program accomplishments, including delivery of more than 125 aircraft and the recent award of the second multi-year procurement contract, valued at nearly $6.5 billion, guaranteeing production of aircraft into 2017. His next assignment will be at the Pentagon as the senior military assistant to Frank Kendall, undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

“The V-22 team have been instrumental in the success of this aircraft for the past four years,” Masiello said. “It has been a distinct privilege and honor to have led them and been a part of this success.”

PMA-275 manages the cradle-to-grave procurement, development, support, fielding and disposal of the tiltrotor program systems for U.S. Marine Corps medium-lift assault support and the U.S. Air Force's Special Operations Forces long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions.  The V-22 provides roughly twice the speed, nearly three times the payload and approximately four times the combat radius as the '60s era CH-46 for which it was designed to replace.

Since 2009, the V-22 program has seen a number of successful accomplishments, including: deployment of V-22 squadrons to Okinawa, Japan,  and Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England; delivery of the first V-22 aircraft to the Marine Helicopter Squadron One in support of the president of the United States; delivery of the first Block 20 aircraft to the Air Force and Block C to the Marine Corps; and increased interest from foreign military sales candidates with the expectation of an agreement this year.