New test equipment at Fleet Readiness Center East has positioned the facility to help alleviate one of the top degraders to V-22 Osprey readiness.

The new test stand, which checks the functionality of the V-22 swashplate actuator, cuts testing time in half to produce “ready for issue” components for the supply chain. The swashplate actuator is a flight-critical control that guides the aircraft’s rotors; with the component’s presence on the V-22 degrader list, every day it is in process counts.

The first international variant of the V-22 Osprey aircraft flew from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni to the Kisarazu Air Field July 10, where the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will now operate, train with, and maintain the aircraft.

Since 2016, pilots, crew chiefs and maintainers with the JGSDF have been training with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron (VMMT) 204 and Navy Aviation Technical Training Unit at MCAS New River.

If a V-22 squadron needs a titanium hydraulic or fuel line tube for one of its aircraft, Fleet Readiness Center East is the source to call. That’s because FRCE is the only U.S. military aircraft repair facility to have perfected the orbital welding process required to produce these critical components.

During a recent ceremony at Fleet Readiness Center East, a Marine MV-22 Osprey crew chief was named the depot’s Marine of the Year for their superior performance, outstanding military conduct, work ethic, perseverance and initiative.

Marine Sgt. Dylan W. Griffith, a 27-year-old native of Boone, North Carolina, received the award and high praise from the command. 

“He’s an exemplary Marine,” said FRCE 1st Sgt. Nathaniel Eirich.  “He’s hard working and does his very best at everything he does.  He truly sets the example.”

The first Navy CMV-22B Osprey arrived at Patuxent River Feb. 2 after completing its ferry flight from Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas.

This is the first of two CMV-22B aircraft assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21, the squadron leading the developmental test efforts for the program.

Maddie Dunton has always been a tinkerer. As a child, she enjoyed spending time with her father in their garage, helping him build wood furniture and work on the family car. In middle school, Maddie built an electronics lab in her walk-in closet.

These days, this third-generation Fleet Readiness Center East employee puts her problem-solving skills to the test as a quality engineer on the V-22 Osprey aircraft line. Here, Dunton works to continuously improve production processes to better ensure the quality and safety of the products FRCE services and provides back to the fleet.

Fleet Readiness Center East recently hosted the first-ever U.S. trials for a new cold spray technology application and saw promising results, program officials said. If approved, the new cold spray technology would help reduce turnaround times and decrease costs for repairs that were previously not possible using existing, approved cold spray systems.

More than 110 leaders and stakeholders from within the Naval Aviation Enterprise gathered to identify and attack issues affecting Marine Corps and naval aviation readiness during a Boots on the Ground event held here Dec. 5.

During his first official visit to Fleet Readiness Center East, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper focused his attention on FRCE’s future capabilities and workforce development.

The governor met with FRCE leadership Nov. 12 to discuss the depot’s role in the evolution of Navy and Marine Corps aviation. While aboard the facility, he toured the depot to get a firsthand look at aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul operations, and meet with several members of the workforce.

A training program recently offered at Fleet Readiness Center East prepared service members to make aircraft and component repairs at the squadron level, which will increase flight-line readiness by reducing aircraft downtime.