OKINAWA, Japan –
Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific (FRC WESTPAC) is inducting its first Marine Corps V-22 Osprey with Japanese industrial partner, NIPPI Corporation, for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services at their facility in Yamato, Japan.
The aircraft entering maintenance is an MV-22B Osprey belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, the “Dragons.” Their mission is to provide assault support transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
“FRC WESTPAC is very excited to be inducting this aircraft today, and adding another commercial partner to support V-22 planned maintenance interval (PMI) events in the region,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Ryan, Commanding Officer, FRC WESTPAC. “NIPPI Corporation has demonstrated their maintenance expertise on multiple other aircraft lines for FRC WESTPAC and we anticipate we will see the same quality output for the V-22 line.”
NIPPI Corporation joins the new FRC WESTPAC V-22 maintenance contract, which Subaru Corporation had been supporting since 2015, to handle the maintenance requirement for the Osprey fleet located outside of the continental United States. FRC WESTPAC’s customer base is mainly concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, but can include any U.S. Navy or Marine Corps aircraft located around the world.
“With multiple contractors supporting the V-22 Osprey, FRC WESTPAC can guarantee that all future aircraft inductions will be the best overall value for the U.S. Government in terms of cost, aircraft turnaround time and quality of maintenance performed,” Ryan said. “Our goal here at FRC WESTPAC is to rapidly repair and return safe, mission-ready aircraft to the fleet so they have the warfighting capabilities to win, and at a cost conducive to the U.S. government.”
As a new awardee on FRC WESTPAC’s maintenance contract, NIPPI Corporation was allocated nine months to ready their facility and prepare their plan for maintenance of the aircraft. These requirements included, among other necessities, a facility with the necessary space and safety systems in place, an outline of manning capabilities with the appropriate technical expertise and a working supply chain or means of acquiring materials.
When asked about the upcoming induction, NIPPI leadership responded, “NIPPI is proud to be providing this capability for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and we look forward to starting the scheduled maintenance event on this first V-22 aircraft.”
NIPPI Corporation is a trusted, longtime partner of the United States government, servicing military aircraft since the early 1950s. To date, NIPPI Corporation has worked on more than 14,000 aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
FRC WESTPAC currently has four aviation maintenance contracts with NIPPI for scheduled maintenance, repair, and overhaul services. These contracts include the H-1, H-60, F-18 and the newly awarded V-22.
“FRC WESTPAC’s industrial partners are ready, willing and more than capable of producing the world-class quality aircraft that our customers need for future operations. With their support, FRC WESTPAC will continue to positively impact fleet readiness across the Naval Aviation Enterprise for years to come,” Ryan said. 