Osprey aircraft tactical training will commence as early as 2014 at Pohakuloa Training Area, a U.S. Marine Corps official said Wednesday.
The Department of the Navy, on behalf of the U.S. Marine Corps, issued Wednesday a record of decision allowing basing and training of MV-22 tiltrotor Osprey and H-1 Cobra and Huey attack/utility aircraft in Hawaii to support the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Pohakuloa Training Area, the lone Big Island site identified, is just one of several areas on Oahu, Molokai and Kauai that will see the aircraft operations.
Cpl. Vanessa American Horse, with the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Public Affairs Office, said only the Osprey will be new to Pohakuloa since H-1 Cobra and Huey aircraft are already using the site. She was unable to provide when training operations would commence, or how frequently training will occur, other than that aircraft training will get under way some time in 2014.
To support operations at PTA, the Department of the Navy will fund improvements to landing zones at Bradshaw Army Air Field. The improvements will bring current helipad space to a total of 15,000 square yards, according to a final environmental impact statement compiled for the project and released in June.
The Navy has also addressed concerns about the impacts of additional flights on the observatories’ use of lasers and potential hazards of lasers to military aviators contained in a comment letter from the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Office of Mauna Kea Management following the final statement’s release. PTA will coordinate with the office, as well as follow standard operating procedures already used by military aviators in the area.
Initial plans for North Kohala’s Upolu Airport to be used as a landing area were shelved because of public concerns raised during the draft EIS. The military may consider using Upolu for specific training exercises, but that requires state Department of Transportation approval.
“Upolu Airport would be available for routine flight operations, similar to other state airports and particularly as a diversion airfield in case of emergencies or due to weather conditions at (PTA),” the final document reads. “This type of use would be infrequent.”
The Marine Corps has also proposed basing one or two Marine medium tiltrotor squadrons, which would bring 24 MV-22 aircraft to Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, and one Marine light attack helicopter squadron, which would bring 15 AH-1 Cobra and 12 UH-1 Huey helicopters. The squadrons are now based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
About 1,000 active duty Marines, 22 civilian employees and 1,106 dependents would be brought to Hawaii if the Marine Corps moves ahead with the plan, the document said. The personnel would be stationed in Hawaii beginning this year, with full delivery of aircraft and personnel anticipated in 2018, the document said.
Renovation, demolition and construction of hangars, a taxiway and a parking apron at the Kaneohe base would be phased over six to 10 years.
The Final EIS, record of decision, programmatic agreement, and comments on the final EIS can be viewed online at mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/documents.html.
