MV-22 ontwikkelingen

Gestart door Harald, 12/05/2016 | 10:30 uur

Sparkplug

CMV-22B COD suitability questioned?

Published: 14 February 2024 Last Updated: 14 February 2024



Early February 2024, the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) issued their Fiscal Year 2023 report on the CMV-22B Carrier onboard Delivery (COD) Osprey.

Although the US Navy achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with the CMV-22B in December 2021, operational testing has been delayed and is still going on. Initially, Full Operational Capability (FOC) was expected in FY23, but has now shifted to FY24. In December 2022, a second period of Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) started to evaluate the operational effectiveness, suitability, and cyber survivability of the CMV-22B aircraft equipped with the Communications Upgrade suite. This set of testing is scheduled to complete in Q1-FY24.

As already reported in the combined report of June 2022, the DOT&E found that CMV-22B was not operationally suitable due to failures of many subsystems, with the ice protection system accounting for 44 percent of the total operational mission failures. Additionally, the maintenance hours per flight hour (MH/FH) did not meet the requirement, with 45 percent of the total MH/FH attributed to special inspections and scheduled maintenance requirements.

In June 2024 (Q2-FY24), the DOT&E will publish a follow-on combined FOT&E and LFT&E (Live Fire Test & Evaluation) report.



Even before the fatal crash with the USAF CV-22B Osprey in Japan on 29 November 2023 which forced the US Department of Defense to ground all V-22 Osprey operations, the US Navy CMV-22B was experiencing serious issues limiting the ability to perform assigned missions.

The grounding and the uncertainty of the return of the Osprey forced the US Navy to rethink its plans on how to resupply the fleet aircraft carriers in the short-term and the long term. The initial plan was to retire the remaining fifteen C-2A Greyhound COD aircraft over the next two years and replace them with a total of 38 CMV-22B Ospreys.

As part of the planned Greyhound retirement, the US Navy has stopped training new C-2 pilots and has begun to wind down spares and logistic support for the 60-year-old design. That transition, completed on the West Coast, is now stalled with the grounding of the V-22.

As of Tuesday (13 February), the Ospreys have been out of operation for 69 days with no indication how long the grounding could continue. The grounding forced the Navy to swap out the CMV-22Bs aboard West Coast carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) with Greyhounds of the East Coast Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 Rawhides.

To be continued ...

Credit photo: Richard Collens and Carey Mavor (both Scramble Archive)

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/cmv-22b-cod-suitabilty-questioned

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

JGSDF begins MV-22B Osprey flight operations

16 NOVEMBER 2020

by Gabriel Dominguez

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) put its Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft into service on 6 November, making it the first international partner to operate the US-made platform, according to a statement issued six days later by US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

"The JGSDF is taking a big step toward integrating the V-22's unique capabilities into its mission," said US Marine Corps (USMC) Colonel Matthew Kelly, programme manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275), adding that the first operational flight, which took place from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, followed a ceremony held on 3 November, marking the activation of Japan's V-22 programme.

"The activation of the JGSDF's Transportation Aviation Group flight operations is a major milestone for both the Japanese and V-22 Joint Program Office and follows a key success this summer: delivering the first aircraft to Japan, on schedule, during a global pandemic," added NAVAIR in its statement.

The latest development comes after the JGSDF took delivery of its second MV-22B Osprey on 16 July. The aircraft, which was one of two Ospreys to arrive at USMC Air Station Iwakuni in Japan's Yamaguchi Prefecture on 8 May, was flown that day by a JGSDF pilot to Camp Kisarazu: six days after the service received the first such platform.

These two aircraft, which bear serial numbers '91701' and '91705', are part of an initial five MV-22B Block C Ospreys ordered by Tokyo in mid-2015 for USD332.5 million.

Following the arrival of the first Osprey, a JGSDF spokesperson had told Janes

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US NAVAIR announced on 12 November that the JGSDF has begun operating its MV-22B tiltrotor aircraft from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. (JGSDF)

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/jgsdf-begins-mv-22b-osprey-flight-operations
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Harald

US Navy Tests CMV-22B Variant on LPD Ship Compatibility Trials



A team of pilots and engineers from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 recently joined colleagues from other Navy and Marine Corps commands to conduct MV-22 Osprey landing and ship compatibility tests aboard the amphibious transport dock USS New York (LPD 21).

The testing also included the first shipboard landings for the Navy's new CMV-22B Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) variant of the Osprey.

Over the course of the 10-day detachment in July, the test team flew 180 shipboard approaches and landings, totaling just under 45 hours of flight testing, to develop a better understanding of how pilots can successfully avoid the effects of a phenomenon called "recirculation" when flying to and from ships. Recirculation occurs when the downwash from the aircraft's rotors is reflected off a ship's deck back into the rotors' rotation arc, causing the aircraft to suddenly lose lift.

The team performed low-power-margin testing, and developed procedures for day and night approaches that would minimize the effects of recirculation. The outcome of this testing was to identify better control limits for the aircraft, and develop guidance and procedures that will improve safety for the MV-22 fleet. The testing clearly demonstrated the value of developmental testing.

"We hit 100% of the high priority test points," said Marine Corps Maj. Nathaniel Ross, HX-21's operations officer. "And even with a whole lot of smart people working on our test plan to help us understand the interactions between the ship and the aircraft, when we actually got out to the ship and began flying the test points, we still found things (Issues) that we weren't necessarily looking for, or expecting to find. But, we were able to adjust our test plan quickly, to account for them, which allowed us to make recommendations to the class desk for envelope adjustments."

Teamwork was crucial to the success of the mission, Ross said. Most of the people on the test team, which numbered 50 pilots and engineers at its peak, had served together on a previous detachment, so they had already learned to work together. The test program involved members of Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMX) 1 based at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 464 based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, N.C., and Expeditionary Strike Group 2 based in Norfolk, Va.

Ross identified the leadership and crew of the New York for particular praise. "From the captain all the way down to the people pulling the chocks and chains, everyone understood the importance of this test and how the lessons learned from it will save lives," Ross said. "The whole crew understood and embraced that. It was pretty amazing to watch."

During the detachment HX-21's CMV-22B COD aircraft made two delivery trips to the New York, ferrying maintainers and their supplies. Normally a test team and their equipment would be loaded aboard a ship pierside; but because the New York was underway at the outset, everything for the tests had to be flown to and from the ship.

"The CMV-22B is a great choice for that mission," said Navy Lt. Gavin Kurey, a test pilot and project officer at HX-21 who flew the first of the two COD trips to the New York with the squadron's then-commanding officer, Lt. Col. John Ennis, and crew chief Brian Neseth. "As we were planning the test detachment on-load missions, we realized that the Navy aircraft was going to be a viable resource for helping our team to accomplish its goals. And the aircraft just plugged right into its intended role perfectly."

Kurey said that although the ferry flight was strictly business, everyone on board was aware that they were making history. "The crew was certainly excited, and so were all the passengers, who knew that they were the first people to be ferried out to a ship at sea in the new COD Osprey," Kurey recalled. "Everyone was buzzing with positive energy the whole flight and the crew of the New York was excited that their ship was going to be the first to have a Navy Osprey land on it."

The CMV-22B is designed to carry up to 6,000 pounds of cargo and/or personnel and operate up to a range of 1,150 nautical miles. The aircraft will replace the venerable C-2A Greyhound, which has been fulfilling the COD role since 1966.

Ross said that in addition to providing valuable data to engineers and designers about the performance envelope of the Osprey family of tilt-rotor aircraft when operating aboard LPD-class ships, the detachment also provided valuable lessons in teamwork for the squadron that will benefit future test activities. "Everyone was at the right place at the right time to make the mission a success, and that was due to the professionalism of everyone involved," Ross said.

Nicknamed the "Blackjacks," HX-21 provides developmental flight test and evaluation of rotary-wing and tilt-rotor aircraft and their associated airborne systems in support of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps training, combat, and combat support missions. The squadron can trace its roots at NAS Patuxent River back to 1949, when the then-Naval Air Test Center first established a rotary-wing test division. Today, HX-21 teams are engaged in testing six families of aircraft, including the CH-53K King Stallion, the MV-22 and CMV-22B Osprey, and the Presidential helicopter fleet.

https://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/213871/us-navy-tests-cmv_22b-variant-on-lpd-ship-compatibility-trials.html

Sparkplug

#33
Citaat van: Harald op 16/07/2020 | 09:56 uur
De Cobra AH-1 was ook een US Army helicopter, dus ....  een Maritieme versie zie ik er nog wel komen
Ik zie een Bell 360 wel als vervanger voor de huidige Bell AH-1Z Viper.

Dat klopt, maar zie wel het verschil tussen de AH-1G Cobra en de AH-1J SeaCobra.

Het programma waarin de Bell 360 Invictus meedingt, is voor de vervanging van de OH-58 Kiowa (gewapende verkenning). De AH-1Z is zoveel gegroeid qua technologie en bewapening t.o.v. de AH-1J/-1T/-1W dat deze nu een werkelijke tegenhanger van de AH-64 Apache is.

Edit. Het blijkt dat de USMC een opvolger zoekt dat de MV-22 kan bijhouden. De Bell 360 Invictus haalt die snelheid niet.

https://seapowermagazine.org/marine-corps-looking-at-future-light-helicopter-replacement/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Harald

Citaat van: Sparkplug op 16/07/2020 | 09:22 uur
De Bell 360 Invictus wordt voor de US Army ontworpen. Wil je deze maritiem maken, dan kun je extra ontwikkelingskosten gaan betalen. Je bent dan immers first customer.

De Cobra AH-1 was ook een US Army helicopter, dus ....  een Maritieme versie zie ik er nog wel komen
Ik zie een Bell 360 wel als vervanger voor de huidige Bell AH-1Z Viper.


Sparkplug

Citaat van: Harald op 16/07/2020 | 07:24 uur
Tja ... of de Bell 360, een aantal recon, attack helis extra naast onze Apaches. Maar dan ook te gebruiken vanaf de LHDs.

De Bell 360 Invictus wordt voor de US Army ontworpen. Wil je deze maritiem maken, dan kun je extra ontwikkelingskosten gaan betalen. Je bent dan immers first customer.

Citaat van: Umbert op 16/07/2020 | 08:32 uur
Zomaar een gedachte, de Britten hebben geloof een aantal apaches in opslag staan want "te veel" zijn nu alle Britse Apaches geschikt voor maritiem gebruik?  Zo ja kunnen we dan niet een aantal overnemen voor gebruik op de KM schepen ter ondersteuning van de mariniers.

Als de Britten de overgebleven Apaches niet als onderdelen 'kerstboom' voor zichzelf willen gebruiken. Wil je ze overnemen, dan moeten ze ook de AH-64E upgrade krijgen.
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Umbert

Zomaar een gedachte, de Britten hebben geloof een aantal apaches in opslag staan want "te veel" zijn nu alle Britse Apaches geschikt voor maritiem gebruik?  Zo ja kunnen we dan niet een aantal overnemen voor gebruik op de KM schepen ter ondersteuning van de mariniers. op deze manier is een van de problemen die aangedragen zijn door diverse leden hier minder. Zou eigenlijk ook geen probleem moeten zijn, omdat je toch al de NL/GB landing force hebt, en de Britten al de Apache vanaf schepen gebruiken.

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Citaat van: Harald op 16/07/2020 | 07:24 uur
Tja ... of de Bell 360, een aantal recon, attack helis extra naast onze Apaches. Maar dan ook te gebruiken vanaf de LHDs.

Maar ja... blijven dromen .. (denk ik)

Het kan allemaal, het is slechts een keuze, maar: gezien de huidige ontwikkelingen en de hernieuwde roep om meer zelfstandigheid van Europa (binnen de NAVO) doemt het taakspecialisatie spook weer op.

Blijft in de toekomst onze krijgsmacht structuur bestaan zoals deze nu is of heeft deze haar langste tijd gehad?

Bij onveranderd en (uiteindelijk) 2%bbp voor defensie kan heel veel. Bij taakspecialisatie en 2%bbp is het voor de gekozen taken een feestje maar voor defensie als geheel een droevige gebeurtenis.

'Meer Europese defensiesamenwerking is noodzakelijk'
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/06/30/nederland-moet-weerstand-tegen-eu-leger-laten-varen-a4004482

Harald

Citaat van: Huzaar1 op 15/07/2020 | 21:04 uur
Je hebt dan ook cobra's nodig i.m.o voor escorte. O.a dat maakt het onbetaalbaar.
Tja ... of de Bell 360, een aantal recon, attack helis extra naast onze Apaches. Maar dan ook te gebruiken vanaf de LHDs.

Maar ja... blijven dromen .. (denk ik)

Huzaar1

Je hebt dan ook cobra's nodig i.m.o voor escorte. O.a dat maakt het onbetaalbaar.
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion" US secmindef - Jed Babbin"

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

#25
Citaat van: Huzaar1 op 15/07/2020 | 19:43 uur
Deze zouden echt perfect zijn voor de mariniers, helemaal i.v.m die giga maritieme helideck capaciteit van ons, wordt dat tenminste goed benut maar helaas onbetaalbaar.

Onbetaalbaar is slechts een politieke keuze.

12 Ospreys zouden niet misstaan voor onze marine, niet slechts tbv de mariniers maar de vloot zou er veel baat bij hebben als logistiek werkpaard vanaf de LPD's, het JSS en eventueel het CSS.

Het vervelende is dat elk KMD te gierend te kort komt, dus vrees ik dat we al blij mogen zijn met een handjevol extra NH-90, al zie ik nog wel mogelijkheden als we aan het eind van dit decennium of aan het begin van de jaren dertig de resterende 12 Cougars (mogen) vervangen.

Hopelijk komt dan de Black Hawk opvolger in beeld.

Huzaar1

Deze zouden echt perfect zijn voor de mariniers, helemaal i.v.m die giga maritieme helideck capaciteit van ons, wordt dat tenminste goed benut maar helaas onbetaalbaar.
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion" US secmindef - Jed Babbin"