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Ospreys arrive in Afghanistan

Ten MV-22B Ospreys from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit landed in Afghanistan Friday, marking yet another milestone for the aircraft.

Pilots from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced) took off from the amphibious assault ship Bataan in waves of three, flying the nearly 600 miles to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, in just over two hours, according to a news release.

The aircraft will be transferred to VMM-261 upon their arrival from Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. It is not clear if the nearly 200 North Carolina-based Marines have deployed yet.

The move means the MEU won’t have any medium-lift capability for the remainder of its deployment, which is scheduled to last until December, but spokesman Capt. Clark Carpenter said that should the need arise, the unit’s heavy-lift fleet can get the job done.

“We still retain flexibility with the lift provided by our four CH-53E Super Stallions,” Carpenter said. “For any close-air support, we still have four AH-1W Super Cobras, two UH-1N Hueys and six AV-8B Harriers.”