Navy’s CMV-22B Osprey Needs Nacelle Improvements to Meet Readiness Demands
The U.S. Navy faces a critical readiness challenge in the Indo-Pacific theater, and a proven solution is already delivering results for the Air Force. The Nacelle Improvement (NI) program for the V-22 Osprey fleet represents more than just a maintenance upgrade. It’s a readiness driver that can expand the Navy’s ability to sustain distributed maritime operations across the vast distances of the Pacific.
At the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference last month, Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), delivered a message that should resonate throughout the naval aviation community. His message was clear: nacelle improvements work, and they work dramatically.
General Conley reported that 31 of AFSOC’s 51 CV-22 aircraft have completed the nacelle improvement modifications, and the results speak for themselves. The modified aircraft are experiencing double-digit increases in mission readiness rates while simultaneously achieving close to double-digit reductions in maintenance man-hours. These aren’t marginal gains: rather they represent transformational improvements in operational availability.
“Some of that savings of taking a few off the line was reinvested into our nacelle improvement modifications,” Conley explained at the conference. “We’ve got 31 of the 51 aircraft that have had the nacelle improvement complete, and we are seeing very tangible positive gains on that: double-digit increases in mission readiness on those tails, and close to double-digit reduction in maintenance man-hours.”
The AFSOC commander’s confidence in the platform is unequivocal. “I have complete confidence in the aircraft, and I have even more confidence in the crews and maintainers that operate and fix them,” Conley told reporters at AFA 2024. This endorsement is particularly significant given Conley’s role as the lead investigator for the Accident Investigation Board following the November 2023 CV-22 crash off Japan that killed eight Airmen.
To appreciate the significance of the NI program, one must understand the critical role nacelles play in V-22 operations. The nacelles house the power and propulsion components of the aircraft, containing the complex systems that enable the Osprey’s unique tiltrotor capability. These components represent the technological heart of what makes the V-22 revolutionary and they’re also the source of most maintenance headaches.
The statistics are sobering: approximately 60 percent of all V-22 maintenance actions occur within the nacelle area. This concentration of maintenance burden in a single area creates a direct bottleneck to fleet readiness. When maintainers spend the majority of their time working in one confined space, aircraft availability suffers, operational tempo slows, and the entire fleet’s capability degrades.
The original nacelle design, created decades ago, relied on a highly complex series of wires and junction boxes. This legacy architecture made troubleshooting difficult, repairs time-consuming, and maintainability a constant challenge. Every hour spent wrestling with outdated wiring and hard-to-access components was an hour that aircraft couldn’t fly missions.
The Nacelle Improvement program attacked these challenges through comprehensive re-engineering. The effort successfully redesigned more than 1,300 parts, implementing point-to-point wiring that simplified the entire nacelle architecture. This wasn’t merely an incremental upgrade. It was a fundamental reimagining of how the nacelle should be structured for operational efficiency.
Kurt Fuller, Bell Senior Vice President and V-22 Program Manager, emphasized the program’s focus: “Nearly 60% of all maintenance actions occur within the V-22’s nacelle area, so the NI effort is designed to attack the highest reliability and readiness degraders while maximizing return on investment for the taxpayer.”
The modifications were designed based on direct feedback from Air Force and Marine Corps maintainers who work on these aircraft daily. “We wanted to make sure that the individuals actually doing the hard work, opening up the nacelles, having to replace wires and troubleshoot, reap the benefits of this program,” said MSgt Bryan Sohl, the CV-22 division superintendent.
The improvements include enhanced wiring harness and architecture, redesigned hinges and latches for easier access, improved access panels, and the reuse of repairable components that also contribute to cost savings. Each change targets specific pain points that maintainers identified through years of operational experience.
The results from the CV-22 fleet provide concrete data that validates the NI program’s effectiveness. With over 7,000 hours flown on modified aircraft, the Air Force has already saved over 17,000 maintenance hours in the nacelles alone. This time savings translates directly into increased aircraft availability and operational capability.
Air Force maintainers report dramatic improvements in troubleshooting speed. When an upgraded Osprey flags a fault during pre-flight checks, maintainers can have it mission-ready in approximately one hour which is a significant reduction from previous repair timelines. In combat operations or time-sensitive missions, this responsiveness can mean the difference between mission success and failure.
The Air Force has documented these improvements rigorously. Maintainability and reliability were established as key performance parameters in the new design, and the results have exceeded expectations. This isn’t anecdotal evidence. It’s data-driven validation of a program that delivers measurable returns.
While the Air Force celebrates its NI program success, the broader Osprey fleet faces significant readiness challenges that make this solution even more urgent. Recent data reveals a troubling trend: CV-22 Osprey mission-capable rates plummeted from 51% in 2021 to just 30% in 2024. This dramatic decline occurred even as the strategic environment demanded greater capability.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin sounded the alarm about declining readiness across the service’s aging fleet at the AFA Warfare Symposium earlier this year. He displayed charts tracking steady growth in average aircraft age from about 17 years in 1994 to nearly 32 years in 2024 while aircraft availability plummeted from 73% to 54%.
The Navy’s CMV-22B fleet, while newer, faces the same fundamental maintenance challenges that plague the older CV-22 and MV-22 variants. The aircraft entered service in 2020 on the West Coast and 2024 on the East Coast, meaning the Navy has a critical window to implement NI modifications before extensive flight hours compound maintenance challenges.
The National Defense Strategy prioritizes the Indo-Pacific as the critical theater for national security, and the tyranny of distance in this region creates unique operational challenges. Naval and joint forces must operate and sustain themselves across vast expanses of ocean, often beyond the reach of traditional logistics networks.
The increasing need for naval services to execute Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) and Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) exposes a vulnerable logistical capability gap. If deterrence fails and naval commanders must “fight tonight,” they will need to resupply their forces at range in a contested environment where traditional supply chains may be disrupted or destroyed.
The CMV-22B’s combination of speed, range, and vertical lift capability makes it uniquely suited to address this challenge. The aircraft can reach remote locations up to 400 nautical miles away on a single tank of fuel, with auxiliary tanks and aerial refueling enabling missions lasting five hours or more. However, this capability only matters if the aircraft are available to fly.
The technical similarities between the CV-22 and CMV-22B mean that the Air Force’s NI program results will translate directly to the Navy variant. “Everything, we presume, is the same,” explained Allen Williamson, Fleet Readiness Center East V-22 Branch Head. While the CMV-22B includes additional capabilities like extended-range fuel systems and enhanced communications equipment, the maintenance specifications largely remain consistent across variants.
The modifications deliver both short-term and long-term benefits to support fleet longevity. The NI program provides immediate readiness advances while paying long-term dividends in availability and affordability. For a Navy planning to operate the CMV-22B for decades, these cumulative benefits become increasingly significant.
Bell’s redesign tackles critical areas that directly impact fleet readiness. The improved wiring architecture, redesigned access features, and component reusability all contribute to reduced maintenance man-hours and significantly increased overall aircraft readiness. These improvements address the fundamental challenges that limit operational availability.
Congress has recognized the strategic value of the NI program, recently authorizing $160 million to accelerate V-22 nacelle improvements. This investment represents a bipartisan commitment to maintaining the readiness of America’s “fight tonight” force or the warfighters deployed right now who need solutions today, not a decade from now.
The congressional support extends beyond simple funding authorization. Lawmakers have specifically directed attention to CV-22 readiness issues, with reporting language requiring detailed briefings on force structure, manpower, maintenance protocols, and funding allocations. This oversight ensures that readiness improvements remain a priority rather than an afterthought.
Adding a CMV-22B NI program to the end of the AFSOC production run would provide the Navy and Marine Corps and potentially Japanese partners the decision space to enter an NI program of their own. This approach leverages existing production infrastructure and expertise, reducing risk while maintaining industrial base capacity.
The investments made today in programs like NI don’t just improve current readiness. They maintain the engineering knowledge and manufacturing capacity needed for future innovations.
General Conley noted that AFSOC is evolving its mission set, moving away from legacy missions like ground force insertion in permissive environments toward long-range infiltration and supply sorties in theaters like the Pacific. The Navy’s CMV-22B mission naturally aligns with this evolution, and nacelle improvements would enhance capability across all mission profiles.
If CMV-22Bs can maintain higher mission-capable rates through nacelle improvements, the Navy can sustain more persistent presence in critical regions with fewer aircraft. Each percentage point improvement in readiness translates to more available aircraft for operational commanders.
AFSOC’s methodical approach to implementing the NI program offers lessons for the Navy. The Air Force placed 15 CV-22s in flyable storage at Cannon Air Force Base to better support modification lines for the nacelle improvement program. This deliberate approach ensured quality installations while maintaining operational capacity with the remaining fleet.
The phased implementation allowed AFSOC to validate improvements before scaling across the entire fleet. By bringing approximately three aircraft through functional check flights every 10 days, the command maintained a steady flow of improved aircraft while managing risk. This measured pace ensures that each installation meets standards and that any issues are identified and corrected before affecting the broader fleet.
General Conley’s confidence in returning aircraft to operations stems from this deliberate, safety-conscious approach. “To be blunt about it, I would not put the men and women of AFSOC back on the plane if I wasn’t confident that it could do what we needed it to do,” he stated at AFA 2024. This commitment to safety while pursuing readiness improvements should guide the Navy’s approach to CMV-22B nacelle upgrades.
General Conley’s message at AFA 2024 was unambiguous: nacelle improvements work. The double-digit readiness increases and maintenance hour reductions experienced by the CV-22 fleet provide empirical evidence that this program delivers on its promises. These aren’t theoretical projections for they’re operational realities validated through thousands of flight hours.
Featured image: U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron familiarize themselves with the new nacelle improvement modifications on a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Jan. 7, 2022. The improvements should increase aircraft availability and reduce required maintenance actions, leading to increased flying hours. The versatility of the CV-22 offers increased speed and range over other rotary-wing aircraft, which enables the 20 SOS to conduct long-range infiltration, exfiltration and personnel recovery missions deep into enemy territory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Drew Cyburt)