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Osprey Squadron Conducts Tests in an Austere Environment
 
 
(Source: US Marine Corps via Bell Helicopter; issued Sept. 29, 2004)
 
 
 MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. --- Members of Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron- 22 are currently testing the Osprey in similar environments to Iraq. The squadron, with four aircraft, traveled to Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas to assess operations in the austere environment and develop tactics, techniques and procedures as well as conduct pilot and aircrew proficiency training for their Operation Evaluation, which begins in January.  
 
"The goal is not only to develop tactics, techniques and procedures but also to deploy as a unit," said Marine Lt. Col. Christopher C. Seymour, Chief Operational Test Director for VMX-22. Seymour, a native of Houston, Texas, and the officer in charge of the detachment said this deployment is a great orientation for Marines and Airmen who are junior to aviation and to the service to perform in an environment they do not work in on a daily basis.  
 
"This deployment is a chance for our squadron to prepare for our OPEVAL, where we will have twice the amount of aircraft and spend up to five months testing in every clime and place," said Seymour, "Over the next two weeks, our pilots will train and become competent in flying the Osprey in an austere environment, which is nothing but goodness." Airmen from Patuxent River, Md. and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. are also training in this austere environment with the Marines.  
 
"It is essential Airmen be involved in this training because the CV-22 is 85 percent common to the MV-22, said Air Force Master Sgt. John J. Lysaght, Maintenance Superintendent for Detachment 2 of the 18th Flight Test Squadron located at New River. The CV-22 is the MV-22 with additional equipment such as radars, an electronic warfare platform and a Directional Infrared Counter Measures system. Lysaght, native of St. Louis, said the Airman maintainers are working with the Marines and learning about the Block A configuration of the MV-22. The Airman then can take their experience and lessons learned back to their units and train other Airmen. Lysaght said the Air Force will begin their OPEVAL in 2006, and this deployment is a chance for them to prepare. "It is an opportunity for them to pare and tailor their pack up list," said Lysaght.  
 
The squadron will return home mid-October and continue to prepare for their OPEVAL.  
 
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Algumas fotografias do V-22 Osprey em acção

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Bell Readies for Eventual V-22 Full Rate Production; Adding New Jobs at Fort Worth and Amarillo.  
 
 
(Source: Bell Helicopter Textron; issued Dec. 13, 2004)
 
 
 FORT WORTH, Texas --- Bell Helicopter Chief Executive Officer Michael Redenbaugh announced today the company is moving its V-22 Program Office from Fort Worth to Amarillo, Texas. "We're doing this now in anticipation of the eventual need to ramp up for full rate production on the V-22," Mr. Redenbaugh said.  
 
In this process Bell will be establishing a number of new positions throughout its Dallas/Fort Worth Centers of Excellence as well as its Amarillo Military Assembly & Integration Center.  
 
"Many of these positions will require hiring new people while some professional and technical skill sets important to V-22 production will involve moving some existing positions from Bell facilities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to Amarillo," Mr. Redenbaugh said, adding "we have always planned to increase our employee base as much as necessary to successfully meet the demand of producing upwards of 48 aircraft per year at full rate.  
 
"In order to ensure the success of our V-22 manufacturing operations it was clear to us that we need to move our program engineers and managers to be co-located where the aircraft are built," Mr. Redenbaugh said. "This is a wonderful opportunity not only for all the folks being transferred to Amarillo, but will be of great benefit to the manufacturing process by having all members of our V-22 team located at one place." Mr. Redenbaugh stated, adding, "The High Plains of the West Texas Panhandle is a great place to build aircraft and raise families."  
 
The combination of a productive workforce and additional facilities paid for by the Amarillo Economic Development Council led Bell to grow the Amarillo facility. In addition to the V-22 Osprey, Amarillo will be responsible for the Marine Corps' AH-1Z/UH-1Y helicopter upgrade as well as other military programs including the Bell Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle and the proposed Bell 407 ARH for the US Army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Program. At full rate production on these programs, the Amarillo facility would deliver around 100 aircraft per year and employ more than 1,700 people.  
 
Bell has also invested $300 million in a "Composite Center of Excellence," in Fort Worth and a "Machining Center of Excellence," in Grand Prairie.  
 
To provide a pool of qualified work force candidates, the Bell Employee Training Alliance-including Amarillo College and several regional employment agencies-offer courses in shop mathematics, quality procedures, composite materials repairs and metalworking. About half the graduates are hired by Bell. For successful applicants, the first-phase training is followed by more than 80 hours of training in mechanical and electrical assembly.  
 
Sized for V-22 full-rate production, the Amarillo facility includes a 170,000 square foot assembly building and a 72,000-foot flight hangar. A 113,300 square foot expansion is now complete, and will initially house both V-22 and H-1 assembly lines. An expansion of the current production flight hangar will be completed in 2005.  
 
Bell Helicopter, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a $1.6 billion, leading producer of commercial and military helicopters, and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce of over 8,300 employees serves customers flying Bell aircraft in over 120 countries.  
 
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Pentagon Contract Announcement
 
 
(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Jan. 19, 2005)
 
 
 Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded a $31,924,714 modification to a previously awarded fixed-priced-incentive-fee contract (N00019-99-C-1090) for the production incorporation of Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) V-22-0491 for rework of two Lot IV MV-22 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) tiltrotor aircraft to a Block A/B configuration.  
 
In addition, this modification provides for the incorporation of ECP V-22-0492 for the installation of Nacelle Clamshell doors into MV-22 aircraft D0038. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (42 percent); Ridley Park, Pa. (30 percent); and Amarillo, Texas (28 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  
 
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.  
 
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Pentagon Contract Announcement
 
 
(Source: U.S. Department of Defense; issued Jan. 24, 2005)
 
 
 Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded an advanced acquisition contract with an estimated value of $850,000,000 for long lead effort and materials associated with the manufacture and delivery of 11 fiscal year 2006 Lot 10 low rate initial production V-22 aircraft (nine MV-22 aircraft and two CV-22 aircraft).  
 
Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa. (50 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (35 percent); and Amarillo, Texas (15 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured.  
 
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-05-C-0002).  
 
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Air Force Receives Third Osprey
 
 
(Source: US Air Force; issued March 1, 2005)
 
 
 WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --- Officials at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., received their third CV-22 Osprey test aircraft Feb. 26 to join their Integrated Test Team.  
 
“The delivery of (the new Osprey) is essential because it helps us to do the necessary testing before operational testing begins in the summer of 2006,” Colonel Eric Garvin, CV-22 Systems Squadron commander, said.  
 
Officials said the Osprey will undergo several weeks of modifications to install special instrumentation to meet the needs of Air Force Special Operations Command: night flying, low altitude operations in bad weather, and search and rescue. The test program includes inertial navigation, electronic navigation, multimode radar and integrated system evaluations.  
 
The Osprey has tilting prop-rotors, which allow it to take off and land like a helicopter but fly like a conventional airplane.  
 
“The CV-22 is beneficial to AFSOC because it combines the best capabilities of the C-130 (Hercules) and the (MH-53 Pave Low helicopter),” said Maj. James Donald, Defense Contract Management Command acceptance test pilot for the CV-22. “The CV-22 allows you to go twice as far as the Pave Low and gives you more landing capabilities than the C-130.”  
 
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V-22 Cleared to Begin Operational Evaluation
 
 
(Source: Bell Helicopter; issued March 2, 2005)
 
 
 FORT WORTH, Texas --- The Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) testing program for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey has now been approved. On February 24, Tom Laux, the Program Executive Officer for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault, and Special Mission Programs, certified that the V-22 Osprey aircraft is ready for operational testing and evaluation.  
 
"This is great news signifying a crucial step forward in reaching our goal of getting this tremendous aircraft to our customers," declared Robert Kenney, Bell Helicopter vice president and director of the V-22 Joint Program Office.  
 
The actual start date for OPEVAL will be determined by Marine Corps Col. Glenn Walters, commanding officer of VMX-22, the squadron based at MCAS New River, NC, which has the mission of performing the V-22 OPEVAL. However, OPEVAL is expected to begin within two weeks.  
 
Two Ospreys were delivered in February from Bell Helicopter's Amarillo, Texas, manufacturing facility bringing the calendar year delivery total to three aircraft so far. February deliveries included the CV-22 Additional Test Asset (ATA) to Edwards AFB, Calif., and Osprey No. 48 was delivered to VMX-22 at MCAS New River, NC. The V-22 program calls for a total of 458 aircraft to be delivered to US Government customers.  
 
Bell Helicopter, a subsidiary of Textron Inc. is a $1.6 billion, leading producer of commercial and military helicopters, and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce of over 7,500 employees serves customers flying Bell aircraft in over 120 countries.  
 
Textron Inc. is a $10 billion multi-industry company with 44,000 employees in nearly 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services.  
 
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VMX-22 Begins Operational Evaluation
 
 
(Source: US Marine Corps; issued March 29, 2005)
 
 
 MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -- Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron-22 has started Operational Evaluation today at 8 a.m.  
 
The purpose of Operational Test-IIG is to test the operational effectiveness and operational suitability of the MV-22 Osprey. This test is expected to run through the end of June.  
 
The majority of the testing will be conducted in the western part of the US, though test events will be conducted at MCAS New River and aboard naval shipping as well.  
 
“We will continue to train and prepare our pilots and crewmembers here in New River N.C.,” said Col. Glenn M. Walters, VMX-22 commanding officer.  
 
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V-22 Osprey n° 24 Returns From Halifax
 
 
(Source : US Naval Air Systems Command ; issued May 3, 2005)
 
 
 On April 29, Osprey No. 24 returned to NAS Patuxent River following its second six-month season of icing tests around Halifax, Nova Scotia. Pilots for the transit were Maj. Frank Conway, USMC, and Maj. Steve Augustine, USMC. Flight test engineer Jason Patterson performed crew chief duties.  
 
During this period the V-22 Integrated Test Team explored what effect degraded systems modes had on the airplane's ability to shed ice. The main two test points focused on the loss of a variable-frequency generator, which forces alternate instead of simultaneous de-icing of the prop-rotors, and the loss of the prop-rotor parting strip - the device that continuously prevents ice from forming on the leading edge of the prop-rotor. Test results were satisfactory and after a comprehensive data analysis and PEO/OPTEVFOR review, the program expects to issue the Osprey's initial icing flight clearance.  
 
[The aircraft was fitted with an] orange windshield wiper fairing, a modification made during the test period that prevents ice from accumulating on the wiper blades during extended flight through icing conditions.  
 
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V-22 Engines Freeze: Can’t Fly Through Clouds
 
 
(Source: Project On Government Oversight; issued Oct. 25, 2005)

(See Editor’s Note at bottom)
 
 
 WASHINGTON --- An Air Force version of the V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft last week experienced a condensation stall of both engines after flying into a cloud at 18,000 feet, presumably because of icing problems, sources have told the Project On Government Oversight. The aircraft, CV-22 #6, was on a routine flight to Edwards Air Force base in California. It did not recover from the stall until it had descended to warmer air at about 10,000 feet, the sources said.  
 
As a precaution the aircraft landed in Prescott, Arizona.  
 
“This is very disturbing. Only last month the Pentagon approved the Marines version of V-22 for full-rate production,” said POGO Senior Defense Investigator Eric Miller. “And now we find out the aircraft can’t even fly into a cloud.”  
 
At the time of this release, it was not known whether the aircraft that experienced the stall had a de-icing system onboard. It’s also unclear just how much, or if any, de-icing system testing has been performed on the CV-22. A report of testing issued last month by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation on the Marines V-22 did not address the issue of icing. A 2000 DOT&E report said that icing testing on the Marines V-22 had been waived by the Navy. Sources have speculated to POGO that the V-22 cannot take on extra weight without impacting its performance, and a de-icing system would add weight.  
 
The requirement that the aircraft be able to operate in icing conditions was waived during the first phase of operational testing in 2000. The report also predicted that there was no plan to evaluate operations in icing conditions during OPEVAL Phase II. “The operators will be restricted from flying in icing conditions until the development testing and follow-on operational testing is completed,” the 2002 report to Congress said.  
 
There is another concern raised by the dual-engine failure. Because the Pentagon and defense contractors have been saying that the loss of both engines in the V-22 is “remote, but possible,” they have deleted the original requirement that the V-22 be able to autorotate like nearly all other helicopters to a soft landing in the event of engine failure. In the event of a single engine failure, V-22 flight procedures require the pilot to transition to aircraft mode and in the event of a second engine failure perform a “fixed wing glide approach to an emergency landing site,” according to an April 2002 report to Congress.  
 
In fact, had the emergency dual engine stall over Arizona been below 1,600 feet, it would “not likely” be survivable, according to the recent DOT&E report.  
 
The Air Force plans to buy 50 CV-22’s to replace its fleet of MH-53J Pave Low helicopters used to insert and extract special operations force from enemy areas. Although the CV-22 is on a different development and testing track than the Marines MV-22, it team of developers and testers work together on many common areas.  
 
The Air Force version of the V-22, the CV-22, is a modified version of the Marines MV-22 to perform longer-range, special operations missions. The CV-22 is modified to have long-range fuel tanks, advanced radar, and more sophisticated situational awareness and radio frequency countermeasures. These modifications are designed to improve operations during night and low altitude flights in bad weather.  
 
The report to Congress also said there was no plan to evaluate operations in icing conditions during OPEVAL Phase II. “The operators will be restricted from flying in icing conditions until the development testing and follow-on operational testing is completed,” the report said.  
 
 
POGO investigates, exposes, and seeks to remedy systemic abuses of power, mismanagement, and subservience by the federal government to powerful special interests. Founded in 1981, POGO is a politically-independent nonprofit watchdog that strives to promote a government that is accountable to the citizenry. (ends)  
 
 
 
EDITOR’S NOTE:  
 
The V-22 program office confirmed the Oct. 18 icing accident, which prompted an unscheduled landing in Prescott, Arizona, Reuters reported Oct. 25. It quoted spokesman James Darcy as denying that either engine stalled, adding that the crew was never in any danger: "The POGO report is completely false. The aircraft was never out of controlled flight, the engines never lost power, the landing was precautionary," Darcy was quoted as saying.  
 
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