NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The newest MV-22 Osprey flight trainer was delivered to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. Nov.16.
The fully self-contained, $8.6 million containerized flight training device (CFTD) is the second of four MV-22 trainers for fleet use at MCAS Miramar, Calif.
“The arrival of this newest MV-22 trainer marks another crucial step in increasing the training opportunities for our fleet aircrews,†said Capt. Darryl “Spike†Long, Aviation Training Systems program manager (PMA-205). “â€V-22 crews use these type of trainers to accomplish more than 50 percent of their training requirements so when we deliver them early, on-time and on-budget, everyone benefits.â€
Another benefit to these new training systems is how they are designed.
“Once these fully self-contained training systems are built, they only require a concrete pad and dedicated power hookups,†said Lt. Col. David Owen, PMA-205, Marine Corps Department Head. “This saves the Marine Corps quite a bit of military construction funding.â€
Once operational, the MV-22 CFTDs have a solid history of being reliable with very little maintenance downtime added Owen. “On average, these trainers have a 98 percent reliability rating with an average of only 12 to 15 hours of operational down time due to maintenance per year.â€
Over time, the cost of these trainers has gone down and their capability has increased according to Owen.
“When the first trainers were bought three years ago, they cost $12 million each but today they cost $8.6 million,†said Owen, “with the cost reduction and the increasing power of today’s computers, we are able to buy additional trainers that have more capability.â€
The third and fourth trainers are scheduled to be delivered to MCAS Miramar in early to mid-2010. A fifth V-22 flight trainer is scheduled for delivery to MCAS New River, N.C. in the fall of 2010.
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