Marines, UK Forces Prepare For Joint Exercise Off Eastern
US
Ahead of a US-led Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFX) on the
Eastern seaboard of the United States, the HMS Illustrious
welcomed the very first embarkation of a US Marine Corps
Bell/Boeing MV-22 Osprey onto the Royal Navy aircraft carrier
Wednesday. It is the first time an Osprey has landed on a non-US
vessel.
Representatives with the UK's Ministry of Defense tell ANN the
Osprey, with its vertical takeoff and landing capability, is
ideally suited to working from the deck of HMS Illustrious
-- which is currently the UK's high-readiness strike carrier.
With US Marine Corps Major Frank Conway piloting the aircraft,
the visit gave the Osprey’s crew a unique opportunity to
demonstrate the aircraft’s flexibility as well as the
versatility of the UK’s primary Maritime Strike
capability.
While there are no current plans to operate the MV-22 from UK
ships, close co-operation of this kind is vital should the need
arise for Illustrious to conduct operations in a coalition
environment.
"The Osprey visit gave the ship a unique opportunity to work
with this impressive aircraft," said Commander Henry Mitchell, the
Commander (Air) onboard the Illustrious. "We have been
planning this for some time and although it is a departure from
normal operations, the landing demonstrates the truly flexible
nature of the UK Strike Carrier and the Osprey. It is hugely
important to recognize the opportunities this type of event brings
with it and how it reinforces our ability and willingness to
operate with the widest possible range of aircraft anywhere in the
world."
The embarkation of the MV-22 Osprey is a precursor to a major US
led military exercise-JTFX 2007 in which Commodore Alan Richards,
Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, based on
Illustrious will lead one of three carrier strike groups
and will also embark up to 16 US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jets,
as well as operate her own Sea King airborne surveillance and
rescue helicopters.
The exercise will test her across the broad spectrum of
conflict, ranging from embargo operations involving UK and US
boarding teams to air strike missions dropping precision ordnance
against simulated targets.
"[T]his is a really exciting opportunity for
Illustrious," said Captain Tim Fraser,
Illustrious commander. "The exercise will allow us to
train and test many aspects of our capability in a demanding
scenario alongside the US Navy, while integrating USMC Harriers and
200 US personnel on board Illustrious."