Posted on 06/17/2006 6:41:18 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham
Marine Ospreys exploring long-range deployments
June 17, 2006
Marines successfully completed two non-stop, coast-to-coast flights this week with a pair of MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, as a precursor to a transatlantic flight to England with the same Ospreys in July. The unconventional Osprey started life with some very bad publicity but now that the unconventional machine is working properly, it is beginning to offer an entirely new way of doing things, adding an important new tool to the Marine armoury. "Unlike conventional rotary wing aircraft, which must be transported into overseas theaters of operation aboard amphibious shipping or heavy lift transport planes, the V-22 can self-deploy thousands of miles over water to get itself to the fight," said Col. Bill Taylor, V-22 Osprey joint program manager. The Marine Corps is conducting the long-distance flights to develop tactics, techniques and procedures for long-range, over-water movements of MV-22s, in preparation for the first combat deployment in 2007.
That ability was proven during operational evaluation in 2005, when the Osprey demonstrated a projected range of more than 2,600 nautical miles on a single aerial refueling. The MV-22 can be configured with up to three mission auxiliary tanks in the cabin to enable these kinds of ranges. Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 (VMX-22) launched two Ospreys from their home at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., Monday, landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., nine hours and 2,100 nautical miles later. They returned to New River Thursday, making that flight in just eight hours. Altitudes on the flights ranged from 14,000 to 16,000 feet, with sustained ground speeds between 240 and 300 knots.
The aircraft were configured with two of the three available auxiliary fuel tanks. The VMX-22 crews completed two aerial refuelings en route with KC-130J tankers from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 (VMGR-252), to further validate the Osprey's long-range fuel system capabilities in support of future combat deployments.
"We didn't have to do two aerial refuelings, but we wanted to fill up those [auxiliary fuel tanks] and burn them out a couple times, to increase our experience with the systems," said Lt. Col. Chris Seymour, VMX-22 executive officer and pilot of one of the two Ospreys. "The flights have gone extremely well."
"The mission planning computer systems onboard that help us manage our long range flights were accurate within a quarter percent of predicted performance," said Col. Glenn Walters, VMX-22 commanding officer. Actual flight time, for example, was just three minutes off from the predicted flight time, on a trip of more than 2,000 miles. "That gives us a great deal of confidence in over-water flights ... enabling us to make good decisions on how to get long distances," he said.
This week's overland flights were structured as rehearsals for the transatlantic deployment to England in July. VMX-22 will depart from Goose Bay, Newfoundland, July 10, flying direct to Great Britain along with two tankers from VMGR-252.
Once across the ocean, the aircraft will be turned over under a lease agreement to manufacturer Bell Boeing, who will operate the aircraft in the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough International Air Show July 14-23. Farnborough and the Tattoo will be the Osprey's first international air show appearances since 1995.
The Marine Corps, however, is interested in other firsts. "This will be the first time that an assault support aircraft has ever flown across the Atlantic," Taylor said. It will also be the first time in more than 20 years that Marine Corps KC-130s have supported a transatlantic deployment, he said.
"This is invaluable as far as establishing the tactics, techniques and procedures for these types of missions in coordination with the KC-130s," Seymour said. "We're writing the book on how to do this."
The Marine Corps is using the opportunity to fly to England as a prudent first step to gain experience and refine skills, Taylor said, before VMM-263 takes the aircraft across the ocean into a theater of battle.
In March, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) was established as the world's first tiltrotor combat squadron. They began receiving Ospreys in May, and will deploy with the MV-22 after the aircraft reaches initial operational capability in summer 2007.
Under the current program of record, the Marine Corps will purchase 360 MV-22s for missions including amphibious assault, ship-to-objective maneuver and sustained operations ashore. The Ospreys will ultimately replace all CH-46E and CH-53D helicopters for the Corps, delivering twice the speed and three to five times the range as those platforms. Manufacturer Bell Boeing began delivering the Block B combat configuration of the Osprey in December 2005.
Secretary of the Navy Dr. Donald C. Winter flew with VMX-22 earlier this year, to evaluate the aircraft first hand. "The significance of this program to the Naval services is not about hardware or technology," Winter said. "It's about what it will mean to our people. The Osprey can deliver Marines to battle more safely, bring them reinforcements over greater distances in greater numbers, and evacuate wounded more quickly. That all equates to lives saved, as we continue to prosecute the global war on terrorism."
This is great news!
Forgive me if I just offer my personal opinion.
There is just something about the Osprey that just ain't natural.
I got a bad feeling in my bones about it.
You missed it.
Jobs in Ridley Park ping
If you want on or off the aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.">
You should state facts and stop exaggerating.
lot of good Soldiers lives
Marines aren't soldiers. How many lives have been lost in H-60 accidents and based on that number; several hundred, you no doubt have an extreme aversion to that platform.
The Marines didn't even want this did they?
They most certainly did.
I read it again and still don't see where it says they have been cleared to carry Marines or have carried troops with the roters in the upright position.
"The mishap investigation, having ruled out all other possibilities, soon focused on the extremely high rate of descent at low altitude as the primary cause of the accident. It was concluded that during the descent, the aircraft entered an aerodynamic condition called vortex ring state (VRS)."LtCol Gross explained that VRS is an aerodynamic condition in which the tangential airspeed at the rotor is small (associated with low forward airspeed) and the airspeed perpendicular to the rotor is high (associated with powered rate of descent). VRS typically becomes a concern below 40 knots forward airspeed at high rates of descent. To reach this condition, power must be applied during the steep descent. In layman's terms, when the induced velocity equals the vertical velocity, VRS may occur, causing a reduction in rotor lift or increased sink rate. VRS can occur as a rotorcraft settles down through its own vortex field at slow forward airspeeds.
When they knew where the VRS boundary was located, how the aircraft responded during VRS, and the proper recovery procedures and techniques, their focus turned toward avoidance of VRS. The engineers made two changes to the avionics displays that increased the pilot's situational awareness during low-speed, high-rate-of-descent flight.
With their test effort behind them, the Integrated Test Team at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Navy and Marine Corps test pilot facility, is confident they fully understand the location of the VRS boundary for the tilt-rotor, the aircraft roll-off characteristics during steady maneuvers within the boundary, and the immediate and effective recovery procedures. They have developed avionics warnings to aid pilots in avoiding high rates of descent at low airspeed and the fleet has a better understanding of the capabilities of the MV-22 Osprey and will be confident to fly in harm's way knowing vortex ring state never will be encountered again.
Lieutenant Colonel Gross was the government flight test director for the MV-22 program from August 2002 to August 2004 and participated in several test flights. He currently is assigned to the V-22 Joint Program Office at Patuxent River, Maryland. He would like to acknowledge Tom Macdonald's and MV-22 lead government engineer Ray Dagenhart's contributions to his article in Proceedings.
> The Osprey can deliver Marines to battle more safely, ...
Debatable. Jumping in is safer than the MV-22, based on
it's record to date. The MV-22 might become safer than
parachutes and existing helos, but it will have to prove
it by building a record.
> ... bring them reinforcements over greater distances in
> greater numbers, ...
Debatable.
> ... and evacuate wounded more quickly.
True, and that points to the real advantage of this thing,
(if it can establish a credible safety record). It can
exfil (not just wounded) faster than anything else in
the inventory. Ideal for quick-turnaround missions at a
distance.
This is great if we need to get troops from New River to Farnbourgh, but when will it carry a squad of Marines from Kandahar into mountains that border Pakistan?
I don't think the Osprey can take off or land unless its rotors are in the (mostly) upright position.
The Osprey will be a fine addition to our inventory. It, like all other aircraft we fielded, has had some problems. But, those problems are being addressed and what is learned will help the Osprey and future designs.
R&D is expensive, but education is never free, though often priceless.
"Great news"?
Bet it's grounded again within a year.
The test should have been a long sequence of Take offs and landings in a variety of weather. That's where our troops are going to be at max risk.
Damn thing was in design reviews in 1985.
It's a lousy implementation of a marginal concept!
Thanks for your post #11. That is the first I have ever read anything about what the testers did SPECIFICALLY to tackle this problem. Most other reports (I've read) just glossed over it and said they altered the flight parameters.
Okay, maybe I'm being a bit too optimistic. A guy can hope though, can't he? :)
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