The US Navy (USN) has publicly declared that initial operational capability (IOC) has been reached with its CMV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
The milestone was formally declared on December 14 last year, but the public declaration of IOC was made following the successful conclusion on February 17 of the aircraft’s maiden deployment, which saw it deployed to the Pacific theatre with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 and the carrier strike group (CSG) attached to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).
The CMV-22B will eventually replace the twin-turboprop C-2A Greyhound fixed-wing aircraft as the USN’s carrier onboard delivery platform. The C-2A is currently scheduled to be retired in FY 2025, according to Megan Wasel, a spokesperson for US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
Three CMV-22Bs from Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 joined the Carl Vinson CSG for the type’s first deployment last summer. This first deployed detachment had a mission completion rate of 98% and a mission-capable rate of 75%, according to the USN.
Compared to the MV-22B on which it is based,
