Delores Etter, the Navy's chief weapons buyer, acknowledged that the V-22's availability rate is only 35%, according to one measure. But she said the program looks better using standard evaluation metrics and is consistently improving.
"I really am not concerned at this point," Etter said in an air show interview.
"We're having issues we've got to work through," she added. "But if you look at where we're at in the program, where the plan has been for reliability, when we get ready to actually deploy it, we're well on the path to get there."
Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, head of Marine Corps aviation, said the companies are working on changes to make maintenance easier. The military also is just starting to get the hang of its new planes before their first combat deployment next year.
"When I get a new car it takes me a while to learn how to change the oil," he said, by way of example, during a press conference.
Bell Helicopter Chief Executive Michael Redenbaugh said the companies have a designed a number of forthcoming improvements. "I think that's the natural teething pains that we go through," Redenbaugh said in an interview, when asked about the maintenance concerns.
One of the V-22's next challenges is to get cheaper. New aircraft cost about $70 million each right now, but the companies have a goal of $58 million per plane. To help bring costs down, the Pentagon seeks a multi-year production contract and also is showing off the aircraft to prospective foreign buyers.
"Once you have aircraft designed and ready to go, the best thing you can do in terms of affordability is buy more of them," Etter said.
Now there is a load of Bovine Feces for you!
They get "cheaper" if you buy more of them....errrr...maybe they still cost too damn much even then.
35% availability rate....and "we are not concerned"....oh, dear!