V-22 can't autorotate. Say what?
This week's Time Magazine carries an article on the V-22 Osprey which is set to see duty in Iraq this fall for the first time. The article is highly critical of the V-22 program and I was quite surprised to read that apparently the V-22 cannot autorotate in helicopter mode. The author makes a big deal out of this so I don't think it's a matter of a layman misunderstanding the capabilities of the aircraft. As per the article, the V-22 has a dead-man's curve that extends all the way to 2,000 feet and 200 knots (in helicopter mode, presumably). The Pentagon quietly struck the autorotation requirement from the program after it became clear that the V-22 was going to be unable to do it without extensive (and expensive) modifications, citing the relative rarity of dual engine failures.
Granted, there are only a few scenarios possible where a tandem rotor twin would ever need to autorotate but Iraq doesn't strike me as the place where you would want to explore the odds of one of those scenarios unfolding. Anyone here experienced with the V-22?