Hangar Six Ribbon Cutting Ceremony:
Camp Pendleton Air Station holds ceremony for new MV-22 Osprey hangarMarine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton Story by PFC. Emmanuel Necoechea CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.
- Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil a new hangar for MV-22 Ospreys here, Jan. 14.Hangar six is a 123,451-square-foot hangar capable of storing up to six Ospreys belonging to Marine Aircraft Group 39.It is the first hangar designed to store Ospreys aboard Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton.“This new hangar will support the aircraft that the Marine Corps has been procuring for the last few years,” said Clark.
“The hangar will provide a platform for the Marines that fly the aircraft and those Marines that maintain the aircraft. It will increase our combat readiness and ability to deploy around the world.” The Osprey is capable of both vertical takeoff and short takeoff, combining the functions of a helicopter and an aircraft. It is also capable of reaching speeds of 280 knots. Ospreys are an important component of the Marine Air Ground Task Force, as it allows for the rapid force projection of ground combat and logistics units. It enables the MAGTF to accomplish expeditionary operations worldwide in a limited amount of time.Brig. Gen. Edward D. Banta, Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations-West performed the ribbon cutting alongside Col. Ian R. Clark, commanding officer of MCAS Camp Pendleton.
The project was also recognized for its energy and environmental design because of the energy-saving features that were incorporated into the construction of hangar six.“The parking structure that we built has solar panels that provide 30 percent of the energy to the facility,” said Navy Lt. Commander Davis Closas, the public works officer of Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton. “Another innovative feature we have is the cool roof system, which provides less energy consumption during the summer.”
“The facility also has two 1,000 kilowatt diesel generators that provide backup energy for 100 percent of the facility if the power went down,” added Closas. The hangar took about 21 months to complete with over 200,000 man-hours of construction.“It’s amazing when you think that this air station was established in September 1942 with a single building, a little bit of gas and just a squadron’s worth of aircraft,” said Clark. “You can see the growth from 1942 to today, and it’s absolutely amazing.”