Focus - Full Spectrum Rotary Wing Seapower No Tailhook, No Problem – The CMV-22 Inherits the COD Mission By LTJG Don Gahres, USN, VRM-30
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or the past five decades, the C-2 has supported the Carrier Strike Group as the only platform capable of the Carrier On-Board Delivery (COD) mission. The C-2 Community fine-tuned the at-sea logistics mission over its history and operated as a well-oiled machine. For Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron THREE ZERO (VRM30), filling these shoes will be no easy task. After an outstanding Safe-For-Flight Certification in September of 2020 and the delivery of six aircraft, the CMV-22 Osprey and VRM-30 stand ready to accept the COD torch from the mighty C-2A Greyhound. Those involved hold an overarching sentiment of excitement and readiness, determined to professionally and safely take carrier on-board delivery to the next level. With a fantastic record like the C-2, assuming the mission will not be a cakewalk, but the CMV-22 and the VRM-30 Titans are up for the challenge. The preparation to assume the mission starts with the men and women of VRM-30, a group unparalleled in its professional diversity. Our pilots are mainly previous C-2 and MH-60S drivers, with only six initial accession Osprey pilots. Our aircrew have a wide range of experience from C-2s, P-3s, C-130s, C-12s, and C-26s. Their combined knowledge leads to mastery when it comes to the unique challenges the Osprey presents. The backbone of our squadron is the group with the most technical diversity - our maintainers. They transitioned to CMV-22s from backgrounds in F-18s, MH-60s, P-3s, P-8s, E-2s, C-2s, and even F-35s. Their unique experience spans most of Naval Aviation! One of our maintainers, AME1 Levi Smith, came from the F-18 Community. He shared that in coming here, “everyone had a different way of doing things. Leveraging different experiences and coming together to find the right way forward was challenging, but ultimately rewarding.” Rotor Review #152 Spring '21
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One obvious deficiency for the squadron to overcome was gaining experience with the CMV-22. The introduction of a new airframe, means that we have to build that experience from the ground up. For the VRM-30 flyers, we tackle this short-term inexperience with a mentality and training regimen we call “Crawl, Walk, Run."
Crawl
Establish a baseline of standards for the way we are going to maintain and fly this aircraft, and train to that standard. This starts with concentrating on the basics learned at the USMC V-22 Fleet Replacement Squadron, VMMT-204, which includes ground, simulator, and flight training.
Walk
Expand training into advanced mission sets not covered in the FRS such as Aerial Refueling, Carrier Qualification, and extended range operations with the additional installed fuel tanks unique to the Navy variant of the Osprey. In a tight window, with the help of the USS Carl Vinson during its Tailored Ship’s Training Availability (TSTA) in February of this year, we were able to get a majority of our pilots and aircrew carrier qualified, setting us up for the “Run” Phase.
Run
Execute the COD mission. This kicked off at a sprinting start as the squadron successfully moved an F-35 Power Module (PM) to and from the aircraft carrier over the course of eight logistics missions. The PM move was a complex evolution employing two aircraft over four days, extensive training, and coordination between a number of shore based and at sea entities. This benchmark moment signaled the start of the CMV-22 being ready to assume the primary role of at-
