Nearly Retired C-2As Offset Ongoing CMV-22 Osprey Grounding In Pacific

SINGAPORE—A last-minute adjustment has preserved a pipeline of critical supplies going to the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers in the Pacific despite the months-long, ongoing grounding of the Bell Boeing CMV-22 Osprey fleet, a top Navy official said Feb. 20.

The re-activation of a Japan-based, Northrop Grumman C-2A Greyhound squadron slated for retirement allowed the Navy to keep supplies moving to carriers in the region while they were underway, said Rear Adm. Mark Melson, commander of the Navy’s Logistics Group Western Pacific.

Despite the “robust” service provided by the C-2A, however, Melvin told reporters here at the Singapore Airshow that he hopes the CMV-22s will be returned to service shortly. All Ospreys have been grounded since December following the crash of a U.S. Air Force CV-22 off the coast of Japan on Nov. 29. The grounding order remains in effect pending the release of a root cause analysis of the fatal accident, which killed all six people on board.

“Clearly we are interested in understanding what the root cause analysis was,” Melvin said.

Melvin said he has overseen the operations of the Marine Corps’ MV-22 variant on board the USS Makin Island, an amphibious assault ship, and appreciates its unique combination of fixed-wing aircraft range and rotary-wing aircraft landing flexibility.  

The Osprey “is an extraordinarily capable and versatile aircraft, and we’re keen to get it back on the decks of the aircraft carriers and all the other platforms as soon as we can,” Melson said.