Further to the question of whether degraded engines contributed to the CV-22B crash, the fleet does seem to be getting through engines at a prodigious rate. Looking at the DoD contracts for 2010, I see:
Feb - $52M for MV/CV-22 engine support
Mar - $12M for 6 spare CV-22 engines
Aug - $24M for 12 spare CV-22 engines
Nov - $30M for MV/CV-22 engine support
Nov - $27M for 12 spare CV-22 engines
Dec - $121M for 58 MV-22 engines
Dec - $9M for MV/CV-22 engine support
Dec - $49M for 24 CV-22 engines (14 spares & 10 Lot 15 installs)
Back in
early 2008, the DoD was looking at a new engine to cure the premature removal problems. Did this go anywhere? Av Week ran a story on the CH-53K over the weekend, noting that the first
GE38s (7,500 shp) will be delivered in the second quarter. Seems to be an obvious fit.
I/C