Lawmakers questioned special operations representatives testifying April 27 about news from at least one soldier that the new tilt-rotor aircraft has such a strong downwash that at least three people on the ground must secure a rappelling rope. Garry Reid, deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism, acknowledged that he had heard of the issue when utilizing a fast-roping procedure, but he explained that fast roping “wasn’t a cornerstone of the fielding of the [V-]22.” He said, “I’m sure if we decide we need to continue fast roping out of CV-22s, we’ll figure out, much like we figured out how to do things out of [H-]53s and [H-]47s, … a way around this.” Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who chairs the House Armed Services terrorism and unconventional threats and capabilities panel, promised to track the issue “to see if it is a problem.” (Also see Reid written testimony; Sanchez opening remarks)
More than 20 tankers lined the runway at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on March 27, for an “elephant walk” and the base’s largest mass launch of aircraft ever. Sixteen KC-46s and five KC-135s participated in the flush, with aircraft and Airmen from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and the 931st…