Part of a USMC MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor medium lift helicopter from a Marine Corps Darwin (MRF) 22, supported by a C-130 during a trans-Pacific tactical redeployment from Australia to Hawaii (TACREDEPLOY) September 12-17, 2022.
The team from MRF-D 22 Aviation Support Element (ACE) traveled over 11,300 kilometers (7020 miles) across northern Australia and the South Pacific. The work traveled from Darwin to Amberley, Queensland, Australia, then to Fiji, American Samoa, Kiribati, and finally at ACE headquarters in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
The distance between some trips exceeds 3800 kilometers. This is beyond the range of the MV-22’s 2,230 km ferry (one way flight) and therefore requires the Osprey to be refueled by the C-130 several times during the flight.
MRF-D 22 Commander Colonel Chris Steele explained: “We were able to take advantage of the opportunity, especially to demonstrate our HADR humanitarian assistance/disaster response capability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
It also reinforces the importance and operational advantages provided by the MV-22’s unique capabilities, especially in the Pacific. Its maximum air speed of 565 km/h (351 mph, 305 knots) allows its extended distance to be passed in a more reasonable amount of time, while its operating range (as shown in TACREDEPLOY) opens up otherwise unusable Employment options.
The 2022 TACREDEPLOY and MRF-D are an important part of the Marine Corps and U.S. Navy’s renewed emphasis on the Pacific region and fostering increased cooperation with countries in the region. The last TACREDEPLOY was in 2019.
Stephen W. Miller
