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The 'V-22 Osprey' is a joint service, multimission, military tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing capability (STOL). It is designed to perform missions like a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. The V-22 was developed by Bell Helicopter Textron, which manufactures it in partnership with Boeing Helicopters. The initial operators are the U.S. Marine Corps and United States Air Force. The FAA classifies the Osprey as a model of powered lift aircraft.

Contents

Development

Design

Controversy

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Incidents

Minor problems

Specifications (MV-22B)

References

External links

Related content

Development

The V-22 was developed and is built jointly by Bell Helicopter Textron, which manufactures and integrates the wing, nacelles, rotors, drive system, tail surfaces, and aft ramp, as well as integrates the Rolls-Royce engines, and Boeing Helicopters, which manufactures and integrates the fuselage, cockpit, avionics, and flight controls. Portions of the aircraft are manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Grand Prairie, Texas, and Fort Worth, Texas. Final assembly and delivery occurs in Amarillo, Texas. The joint development team is known as Bell Boeing.^[1][2]
The V-22 completed its final operational evaluation in June 2005.^[3] The evaluation was deemed successful; events included long range deployments, high altitude, desert and shipboard operations. It is claimed that the problems identified in various mishaps have been addressed by the V-22 program office.
On September 28, 2005, the Pentagon formally approved full-rate production for the V-22. The current plan is to boost production from 11 a year to 24 to 48 a year by 2012. Planned production quantities include 360 for the Marine Corps, 48 for the Navy, 50 for the Air Force. The U.S. Army, originally the lead service for the then-named JVX program, is also a candidate for possible applications.
On December 12, 2005, the Pentagon announced that the procurement budget for the Marine Corps V-22s would be reduced by $1.1 billion over the production run.
Israel has shown interest in the purchase of an undisclosed number of MV-22s, but an order has not been placed or approved.^[4]
During external load testing in April 1999, Boeing used a V-22 to lift and transport the M777 howitzer.^[5]

Design

The Osprey is the world's first production tiltrotor aircraft, with one three-bladed proprotor, turboprop engine, and transmission nacelle mounted on each wingtip. It typically operates as a helicopter with the nacelles vertical (rotors horizontal) for takeoff and landing. Once airborne, the nacelles rotate forward 90° in as little as 12 seconds for horizontal flight, converting the V-22 to a more fuel-efficient, higher-speed turboprop airplane. STOL rolling-takeoff and landing capability is achieved by having the nacelles tilted forward up to 45°. For compact storage and transport, the V-22's wing rotates to align, front-to-back, with the fuselage. The proprotors can also fold in a sequence taking 90 seconds.^[6]
The V-22 is equipped with a glass cockpit, which incorporates four Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) and one shared Central Display Unit (CDU), allowing the pilots to display a variety of images including: digimaps centered or decentered on current position, FLIR imagery, primary flight instruments, navigation (TACAN, VOR, ILS, GPS, INS), and system status. The flight director panel of the Cockpit Management System (CMS) allows for fully-coupled (aka: autopilot) functions which will take the aircraft from forward flight into a 50-foot hover with no pilot interaction other than programming the system.^[7]
The V-22 is a fly-by-wire aircraft with triple redundant flight control systems. With the nacelles pointing straight up in conversion mode at 90°, the flight computers command the aircraft to fly like a helicopter, with cyclic forces being applied to a conventional swashplate at the rotor hub. With the nacelles in airplane mode (0°) the flaperons, rudder, and elevator fly the aircraft like an airplane. This is a gradual transition which occurs over the entire 96° range of the nacelles. The lower the nacelles, the greater effect of the airplane-mode control surfaces.

Controversy

The V-22's development processes have been long and controversial. When the development budget, first set at $2.5 billion in 1986, had reached $30 billion in 1988,^[8] then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney zeroed out the budget, but was overruled by Congress. The first flight occurred on March 19, 1989.^[9]
Additionally, the V-22 squadron's former commander at New River, Lieutenant Colonel Odin Lieberman, reputedly instructed his unit that they needed to falsify maintenance records to make the plane appear more reliable. A crew member's recording included him stating that "We need to lie or manipulate the data, or however you wanna call it".⁸

Operational history

USMC crew training on the Osprey has been conducted by the VMMT-204 since the early 2000s. On 3 June 2005, the Marine Corps helicopter squadron HMM-263, stood down to begin the process of transitioning to the MV-22 Osprey. On 8 December 2005, Lieutenant General Amos, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, accepted the delivery of the first fleet of MV-22s, delivered to HMM-263. The unit reactivated on 3 March 2006 as the first MV-22 squadron and was redesignated VMM-263. On 31 August 2006, VMM-162 (the former HMM-162) followed suit. On March 23, 2007, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 became Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 (VMM-266) at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina.
The Osprey entered operational service with the Marine Corps in 2007. On 13 April 2007 the United States Marine Corps announced that it would be sending 10 V-22 aircraft to Iraq (the Osprey's first combat deployment). Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Conway, indicated that over 150 Marines will accompany the Osprey set for September deployment to Al-Asad Airfield.^[10][11]
The Air Force's first operational CV-22 Osprey was delivered to the 58th Special Operations Wing (58th SOW) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico on 20 March 2006. This and subsequent aircraft will become part of the 58th SOW's fleet of aircraft used for training pilots and crewmembers for special operations use.^[12]

Variants

;MV-22 : The Marine Corps is the lead service in the development of the V-22 Osprey. The Marine Corps variant, the 'MV-22B', is an assault transport for troops, equipment and supplies, capable of operating from ships or from expeditionary airfields ashore. It is replacing the Marine Corps CH-46E and CH-53D. As of March 2007, the Marines have activated three operational Osprey squadrons.^[13][14]
;MV-22B : Basic US Marine Corps transport; original requirement for 552 (now 360), to replace CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion.
;CV-22B : Operated by the Air Force for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), will conduct long-range, special operations missions. The Air Force officially accepted the CV-22 on 16 November 2006 in a ceremony conducted at Hurlburt Field in Northwest Florida.^[15]
;HV-22B : The planned, but as yet unfunded, United States Navy 'HV-22' will provide combat search and rescue, delivery and retrieval of special warfare teams along with fleet logistic support transport.^[16]

Operators

;

★ United States Air Force

★
★ 58th Special Operations Wing (58th SOW) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

★ United States Marine Corps

★
★ VMM-162

★
★ VMMT-204

★
★ VMM-263

★
★ VMM-266

Incidents

There have been four significant failures during testing:⁸

★ On June 11, 1991, a miswired flight control system led to two minor injuries when the left nacelle struck the ground while the plane was hovering 15 feet in the air, causing it to bounce and catch fire.

★ On July 20, 1992, a leaking gearbox led to a fire in the right nacelle, causing the plane to drop into the Potomac River in front of an audience of Congressmen and other government officials at Quantico, killing all seven crewmen and grounding the plane for 11 months. The seven crewmembers were Brian J. James (copilot), Sean P. Joyce (crew chief), Gary Leader (crew chief), Gerald W. Mayan (instrumentation engineer), Robert Rayburn (flight test engineer), Anthony J. Stecyk, Jr. (mechanic), and Patrick J. Sullivan (pilot). James, Joyce and Leader served in the US Marine Corps. Mayan, Rayburn, Stecyk and Sullivan were employees of The Boeing Company.

★ On April 8, 2000, a V-22 loaded with Marines to simulate a rescue, attempted to land at Marana Northwest Regional Airport in Arizona. It descended unusually quickly (over 2,000 feet per minute) from an unusually high altitude with a forward speed of under 45 miles per hour when it suddenly stalled its right rotor at 245 feet, rolled over, crashed, and exploded, killing all nineteen on board. The official cause was determined to be vortex ring state (VRS), a fundamental limitation on vertical descent which is common to helicopters. At the time of the mishap, however, the V-22's flight operations rules restricted the Osprey to an 800 feet per minute (240 m/min) descent at lower than 40 knots (74 km/h) airspeed (restrictions typical of helicopters, as well); the crew of the aircraft in question exceeded this operating restriction threefold. Another factor that may have triggered VRS was their operating in close proximity, which is believed to be a risk factor for VRS in helicopters. Subsequent testing has shown that the V-22, and the tiltrotor in general, is less susceptible to VRS, the conditions are easily recognized by the pilots; recovery from VRS requires a more natural action by the pilot than recovery in helicopters, the altitude loss is significantly less than for helicopters, and, with sufficient altitude (2000 feet or more), VRS recovery is relatively easy.⁸ As a result of testing, the V-22 will have a descent envelope as large or larger than most helicopters, further enhancing its ability to enter and depart hostile landing zones quickly and safely. The project team also dealt with the problem by adding a simultaneous warning light and voice that says "'''Sink Rate'''" when the V-22 approaches just half of the VRS-vulnerable descent rate.

★ On December 11, 2000, a hydraulic leak caused by a wiring bundle chafing and wearing through a hydraulic line feeding the primary side of the swashplate actuators to the right side rotor blade controls; a previously undiscovered error in the aircraft's control software caused it to decelerate each time in response to the pilot's eight attempts to reset the software as a result of Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) alert,the uncontrollable aircraft fell 1,600 feet into a forest in Jacksonville, North Carolina, killing all four aboard. The four Marines aboard were Lt. Col Keith M. Sweaney, Maj. Michael L. Murphy, Staff Sgt. Avely W. Runnels, and Sgt. Jason A. Buyck. The wiring harnesses and hydraulic line routing in the nacelles has been modified.

Minor problems

★ In the spring of 2006, a V-22 experienced an uncommanded engine acceleration while ground turning at MCAS New River. Since the aircraft regulates power turbine speed with blade pitch, the reaction caused the aircraft to go airborne with the Torque Control Lever (TCL, or throttle) at idle. It was later found that a miswired cannon plug to one of the engine's two Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC) was the cause. The FADEC software was also modified to decrease the amount of time needed for the switch between the redundant FADECs to eliminate the possibility of a similar mishap occurring in the future.^[17]

★ On July 11, 2006, a V-22 experienced compressor stalls in its right engine in the middle of its first transatlantic flight to the United Kingdom for the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Air Show.^[18] It had to be diverted to Iceland for maintenance. A week later it was announced that other V-22s had been having compressor surges and stalls and the Navy had launched an investigation into it.^[19]

★ On February 10, 2007, the Air Force and Marine Corps temporarily grounded their entire fleet after discovering a glitch in a computer chip that could cause the aircraft to lose control.^[20]

★ On March 29, 2007, a V-22 experienced a hydraulic leak that led to an engine-compartment fire before takeoff.^[21] It was also reported at that time that a more serious nacelle fire occurred on a Marine MV-22 at New River in December of 2006.^[22]

Specifications (MV-22B)

References

1. Boeing V-22 page
2. Bell V-22 page
3. Pentagon Testing Office Concurs With Naval Testers, Supports MV-22
4. "Israel considers V-22 acquisition ." Ben-David, A. ''Jane's Defence Weekly''. January 25 2006.
5. Boeing: V-22 Lifts 155mm Howitzer
6. The CV-22 “Osprey” and the Impact on Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Tom P. Currie Jr., Major, USAF
7.
8. Saving the Pentagon's Killer Chopper-Plane
9. Boeing: History -- Products - Boeing V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor:
10. Marines to deploy tilt-rotor aircraft to Iraq Mike Mount
11. Controversial Osprey aircraft heading to Iraq; Marines bullish on hybrid helicopter-plane despite past accidents
12. CV-22 delivered to Air Force
13. US Marine Corps Press Release, March 23, 2007
14. Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC)
15. CV-22 arrival
16. V-22 Osprey; HV-22 Navy Variant
17. VMM-263 ready to write next chapter in Osprey program Lance Cpl. Samuel D. White
18. V-22 Osprey Makes Precautionary Landing En Route To UK
19. Navy Probes Multiple V-22 Surges, Stalls Christopher J. Castelli
20. Marine Corps Grounds V-22 Osprey Aircraft Renae Merle
21. Hydraulic Problems Vex V-22 Defensetalk.com
22. Fire reported after leak of hydraulic fluid Bob Cox

External links

★ Official Boeing V-22 site

★ Official Bell V-22 site

★ Discussion of V-22 VRS accident

★ Series of articles critical of the safety of the V-22

★ After decades of tragedy, Osprey may be ready for combat, Otto Kreisher, San Diego Tribune, July 15, 2005

★ A video footage of the 1991 Osprey crash with commentary

★ Dispelling the Myths of the MV-22

★ Osprey OK'd

★ Onward and Upward

★ "Flight of the Osprey", U.S. Navy video of V-22 operations.

★ VMM-263 ready to write next chapter in Osprey program

★ Congressional Research Service Summary of V-22 Pros and Cons

★ Review of political forces that helped shape V-22 program

★ The Osprey finally soars – July 18, 2006

★ The Osprey On FutureWeapons – Feb 2007

★ US Marine Corp. Press Release, March 23, 2007

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