The USS Bonhomme Richard is seen from the deck of the ROKS Dokdo on March 26, 2015. Both the U.S. and South Korean amphibious vessels participated in an exercise in landing MV-22s on the Dokdo's deck off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
The USS Bonhomme Richard is seen from the deck of the ROKS Dokdo on March 26, 2015. Both the U.S. and South Korean amphibious vessels participated in an exercise in landing MV-22s on the Dokdo's deck off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey crewman watches as a South Korean sailor removes chock blocks and tie down chains from his aircraft on March 26, 2015. The MV-22 was from the USS Bonhomme Richard, while the vessel on which it landed was the ROKS Dokdo. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey kicks up ocean spray as it makes another landing on the ROKS Dokdo on March 26, 2015. The two MV-22s that were part of the exercise performed several touch-and-go landings of the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey prepares to take off from the deck of the ROKS Dokdo off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula on March 26, 2015. The MV-22 belongs to the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 Reinforced. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
The deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard on March 26, 2015. The vessel is part of Amphibious Squadron 11. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
MV-22 Ospreys sit on the deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard on March 26, 2015 off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. Two of the tilt-rotor aircraft took off from the amphibious assault ship to land on the ROKS Dokdo, the 1st time an MV-22 has landed on a South Korean ship. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey approaches the ROKS Dokdo to land on its deck on March 26, 2015. It was was the 1st time a U.S. Marine Corps Osprey had landed on a South Korean vessel. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey sends up an ocean spray as it nears the deck of the ROKS Dokdo on March 26, 2015. The MV-22 belongs to the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 Reinforced. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey touches down on the deck of the South Korean ship ROKS Dokdo off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula on March 26, 2015. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey lands successfully on the deck of the ROKS Dokdo off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula on March 26, 2015. This was 1 of 2 MV-22 aircraft that did several touch-and-go landings on the South Korean vessel. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
An MV-22 Osprey takes off from the ROKS Dokdo off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula on March 26, 2015. Two of the tilt-rotor aircraft took off from the amphibious assault ship to land on the ROKS Dokdo, the 1st time an MV-22 had landed on a South Korean ship. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
Deck crew of the ROKS Dokdo push a heat shield to a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey on March 26, 2015. The shield was necessary to prevent deck damage from the Osprey's exhaust. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
Deck crew of the ROKS Dokdo push a heat shield to a Marine MV-22 Osprey on March 26, 2015. The shield was necessary to prevent deck damage from the Osprey's exhaust. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
Crewmen of a Marine MV-22 Osprey perform a quick check on the aircraft's windshield on March 26, 2015. The MV-22 was 1 of 2 Osprey aircraft performing touch-and-go landings aboard the South Korean vessel ROKS Dokdo. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
Crewmen of the ROKS Dokdo stand on deck to observe a Marine MV-22 Osprey on March 26, 2015. The South Korean sailors worked to tie down and then release the U.S. Marine Corps aircraft. (Armando R. Limon/Stars and Stripes)
ABOARD THE USS BONHOMME RICHARD — The Marines showed off their most versatile aircraft to the South Koreans this week, landing two MV-22 Ospreys on the deck of the South Korean ship Dokdo.
The MV-22s, from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 Reinforced, took off from the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard to perform a series of touch-and-go landings on the South Korean vessel.
The deck crew of the Dokdo guided the hybrid aircraft to a safe landing and then tied them down, as members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and South Korean military looked on. Minutes afterward, they were released and the Osprey took off again.
The event was two years in the making, said Maj. Bryon deCastro, a Marine Forces Korea liaison officer.
“The hardest part was getting the schedules matched for the aircraft to land on the Dokdo,” deCastro said.
Now that the MV-22 has proven it can land on the Dokdo, the U.S. and South Korean forces have greater planning flexibility, he said.
The Marines had made a previous MV-22 landing on a Japanese vessel off the California coast on 2013, according to a Marine statement.
The USS Bonhomme Richard is part of Amphibious Squadron 11 and home to the 31st MEU.
limonjr.armando@stripes.com Twitter: @LimonStripes
