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The Marine Corps in Hawaii is about to double the number of tiltrotor MV-22B Ospreys it has to deliver Marines in a hurry to far-flung locations where fixed-wing aircraft can’t land.
Seven of the aircraft assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363, VMM-363, landed Saturday at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, their new home station, the Marines said.
The Ospreys arrived on the
amphibious ship USS Bonhomme Richard, which is participating in Rim of the Pacific exercises, according to the Corps. Another five will be sent to Hawaii to round out the squadron.
The first squadron of 12 Ospreys with VMM-268 arrived in Hawaii in 2016.
The 57-foot-long Osprey can take off like a helicopter, but once airborne, its signature 38-foot rotors tilt forward, and the MV-22B converts to a turboprop airplane capable of 322-mph maximum speeds.
The Marines say the Osprey can carry 24 combat troops twice as fast and five times farther than previous helicopters.
Combined with refueling capabilities, the two dozen
Hawaii-based Ospreys will be “able to reach across the Pacific to respond to a crisis in a matter of days,” Third Marine Expeditionary Force Hawaii said in a release.
VMM-363, the “Red Lions,” was based at Kaneohe Bay with CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters until 2012, when it was moved to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to switch to Ospreys.
Last year the Corps demonstrated the long reach of the
Osprey with the more than 6,000-mile flight of four Hawaii-based aircraft for an annual six-month deployment of Marines to Darwin, Australia.
The Ospreys with VMM-268, the “Red Dragons,” conducted multiple midair refuelings and stops along the way. The trip back included stops on Guam and Wake Island before reaching Hawaii.
The unit was the first Osprey squadron to complete the trans-Pacific flight from Hawaii to Australia and back.
This spring the Marines shipped eight Hawaii-based Ospreys with VMM-268 as part of the aviation combat element for Marine Rotational Force Darwin.
The seventh and largest rotation to date Down Under includes about 1,500 Marines participating in training events around the country.
Osprey noise has been a concern for some in Hawaii, and last year the Marine Corps agreed to cut back its use of Upolu Airport on Hawaii island after residents complained about the frequency of training flights and noise.
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