What's the latest news of the V22 Osprey?
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"DANGEROUS" Osprey Unwanted at Futenma !
Okinawa decries reported plans to locate Ospreys at Futenma
By Travis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 31, 2011
A V-22 Osprey, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit makes its final approach for landing on the island of Crete for a stopover in 2010.
Paul Farley/Courtesy U.S. Navy
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Okinawa government said it will oppose any plans to locate the U.S. Marine Corps’ duel rotor Osprey aircraft on the island following reports that the Department of Defense is set to notify Japanese leaders of the change later this week.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima called the aircraft “dangerous” and said it should not be operated out of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which sits in a densely populated area of the island where local opposition and a helicopter crash in 2004 have raised tensions between the U.S. and Japan.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Japan Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa will both attend a security summit in Singapore this week. Gates plans to tell Kitazawa that the Marine Corps will begin moving Ospreys to Futenma in 2012 to replace the aging fleet of Sea Knight helicopters, according to Kyodo News, which cited unnamed sources.
“The Osprey had many accidents in its development stage, giving us an image that the aircraft is accident prone therefore dangerous,” Nakaima said Monday during a press conference, according to Tatsuo Oyakawa, chief of the Okinawa prefecture military affairs office. “At this point when the (Japanese) government provides us with no information on the aircraft, I have no other choice but to oppose the reported plan.”
The Osprey, which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a propeller airplane, was criticized during development for its high maintenance needs and poor reliability. A crash during a test run killed 7 crewmembers and passengers in 1992, and 23 Marines died in two separate crashes during 2000.
It was put into combat service in Iraq in 2007 and in Afghanistan in 2009 and so far suffered only one reported deadly accident that killed four during a night landing in Afghanistan in April 2010.
The Osprey can carry more cargo and go faster and farther than the Sea Knight helicopter, which was first put in service during the Vietnam War, and the newly developed hybrid is set to slowly phase out the older bird.
But it is unclear what the Marine Corps plans for the Sea Knights at the Futenma, which is targeted for closure and relocation in the coming years to a site farther north on Okinawa. The Marine Corps did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
Deployment of Ospreys would surely ignite local opposition across Okinawa and further complicate the political problems revolving around the air station relocation and a larger plan for an historic shift of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Barack Obama and Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan affirmed last week that the plans to relocate Futenma and realignment of U.S. forces would not be changed despite sharp criticism from Congress and federal auditors over the potential costs.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., called the military plans “unrealistic, unworkable and unaffordable” last month.
Also, the Government Accountability Office issued a report strongly criticizing the U.S. military for not developing accurate cost estimates for the shift of forces, which includes relocating Futenma and moving 8,600 Okinawa Marines to Guam. The plans could cost the U.S. and its allies $46 billion over the next decade, according to the GAO.
As questions rise over the plan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gates are expected to meet later in June with Kitazawa and Japan Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto as part of an annually U.S.-Japan security alliance gathering.
The meeting is likely to shed light on how the agreements on Futenma and the realignment might proceed despite persistent problems.
By Travis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 31, 2011
A V-22 Osprey, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit makes its final approach for landing on the island of Crete for a stopover in 2010.
Paul Farley/Courtesy U.S. Navy
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Okinawa government said it will oppose any plans to locate the U.S. Marine Corps’ duel rotor Osprey aircraft on the island following reports that the Department of Defense is set to notify Japanese leaders of the change later this week.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima called the aircraft “dangerous” and said it should not be operated out of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which sits in a densely populated area of the island where local opposition and a helicopter crash in 2004 have raised tensions between the U.S. and Japan.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Japan Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa will both attend a security summit in Singapore this week. Gates plans to tell Kitazawa that the Marine Corps will begin moving Ospreys to Futenma in 2012 to replace the aging fleet of Sea Knight helicopters, according to Kyodo News, which cited unnamed sources.
“The Osprey had many accidents in its development stage, giving us an image that the aircraft is accident prone therefore dangerous,” Nakaima said Monday during a press conference, according to Tatsuo Oyakawa, chief of the Okinawa prefecture military affairs office. “At this point when the (Japanese) government provides us with no information on the aircraft, I have no other choice but to oppose the reported plan.”
The Osprey, which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a propeller airplane, was criticized during development for its high maintenance needs and poor reliability. A crash during a test run killed 7 crewmembers and passengers in 1992, and 23 Marines died in two separate crashes during 2000.
It was put into combat service in Iraq in 2007 and in Afghanistan in 2009 and so far suffered only one reported deadly accident that killed four during a night landing in Afghanistan in April 2010.
The Osprey can carry more cargo and go faster and farther than the Sea Knight helicopter, which was first put in service during the Vietnam War, and the newly developed hybrid is set to slowly phase out the older bird.
But it is unclear what the Marine Corps plans for the Sea Knights at the Futenma, which is targeted for closure and relocation in the coming years to a site farther north on Okinawa. The Marine Corps did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
Deployment of Ospreys would surely ignite local opposition across Okinawa and further complicate the political problems revolving around the air station relocation and a larger plan for an historic shift of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Barack Obama and Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan affirmed last week that the plans to relocate Futenma and realignment of U.S. forces would not be changed despite sharp criticism from Congress and federal auditors over the potential costs.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., called the military plans “unrealistic, unworkable and unaffordable” last month.
Also, the Government Accountability Office issued a report strongly criticizing the U.S. military for not developing accurate cost estimates for the shift of forces, which includes relocating Futenma and moving 8,600 Okinawa Marines to Guam. The plans could cost the U.S. and its allies $46 billion over the next decade, according to the GAO.
As questions rise over the plan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gates are expected to meet later in June with Kitazawa and Japan Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto as part of an annually U.S.-Japan security alliance gathering.
The meeting is likely to shed light on how the agreements on Futenma and the realignment might proceed despite persistent problems.
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Okinawa decries reported plans to locate Ospreys at Futenma - Okinawa - Stripes
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Okinawa government said it will oppose any plans to locate the U.S. Marine Corps’ duel rotor Osprey aircraft on the island following reports that the Department of Defense is set to notify Japanese leaders of the change later this week.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima called the aircraft “dangerous” and said it should not be operated out of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which sits in a densely populated area of the island where local opposition and a helicopter crash in 2004 have raised tensions between the U.S. and Japan.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima called the aircraft “dangerous” and said it should not be operated out of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which sits in a densely populated area of the island where local opposition and a helicopter crash in 2004 have raised tensions between the U.S. and Japan.
If you've ever flown around Atsugi, Japan, another are of seriously dense population, you'll note that Helicopters (which sometimes crash -- WHOA, Those Are Dangerous!) and Jets "which sometimes crash -- WHOA, stop, Those Are Dangerous) come in and out of that airfield day and night.
Goodness gracious, all these dangerous aircraft flying about, what's a governor to do?
Engage in a little fear mongering.
It's what politicians are good at.
“The Osprey had many accidents in its development stage, giving us an image that the aircraft is accident prone therefore dangerous,” Nakaima said Monday during a press conference, according to Tatsuo Oyakawa, chief of the Okinawa prefecture military affairs office.
A microcosm of the popular worldview of the Osprey.
“At this point when the (Japanese) government provides us with no information on the aircraft, I have no other choice but to oppose the reported plan.”
Google is your friend, Oyakawa-san. A cursory search on this new-fangled interweb would give you all the information you need...including the fact that the Osprey is the safest flying vehicle the marines have. Amazing!
A microcosm of the popular worldview of the Osprey.
“At this point when the (Japanese) government provides us with no information on the aircraft, I have no other choice but to oppose the reported plan.”
Google is your friend, Oyakawa-san. A cursory search on this new-fangled interweb would give you all the information you need...including the fact that the Osprey is the safest flying vehicle the marines have. Amazing!
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June 03, 2011
V-22 widows: Pilots not to blame for Marana crash; one Marine Osprey pilot agrees
Connie Gruber and Trish Brow say it's time to clear the records of their late husbands. Marine pilots Maj. Brooks Gruber and Lt. Col. John Brow were at the controls the night of April 8, 2000, when the MV-22 Osprey they were attempting to land in Marana, Ariz., suddenly rolled uncontrollably, crashed and exploded. All 19 Marines aboard died.
The official finger of blame was pointed at Brow and Gruber. A "combination of human factors" -- a series of mistakes and misjudgments -- caused the crash, according to the Marine Corps investigation. That explanation was translated into "pilot error" by the media, commentators and even some Marines.
It's a verdict that Connie Gruber and Trish Brow want to see changed -- for their husbands' legacies and for their children. "That tragic accident was the direct result of the crewmen being tasked with an insurmountable, premature mission in a dangerously immature aircraft," Connie Gruber said.
Now a fellow Marine V-22 pilot, Lt. Col. James Schafer, is making much the same argument. The accident was a result of too much pressure from the Marines and others who were trying to get the Osprey program into production. The Marines and the secretary of the Navy "should exonerate" the pilots, Schafer said. "Let's remove the dishonor."
V-22 widows: Pilots not to blame for Marana crash; one Marine Osprey pilot agrees
Connie Gruber and Trish Brow say it's time to clear the records of their late husbands. Marine pilots Maj. Brooks Gruber and Lt. Col. John Brow were at the controls the night of April 8, 2000, when the MV-22 Osprey they were attempting to land in Marana, Ariz., suddenly rolled uncontrollably, crashed and exploded. All 19 Marines aboard died.
The official finger of blame was pointed at Brow and Gruber. A "combination of human factors" -- a series of mistakes and misjudgments -- caused the crash, according to the Marine Corps investigation. That explanation was translated into "pilot error" by the media, commentators and even some Marines.
It's a verdict that Connie Gruber and Trish Brow want to see changed -- for their husbands' legacies and for their children. "That tragic accident was the direct result of the crewmen being tasked with an insurmountable, premature mission in a dangerously immature aircraft," Connie Gruber said.
Now a fellow Marine V-22 pilot, Lt. Col. James Schafer, is making much the same argument. The accident was a result of too much pressure from the Marines and others who were trying to get the Osprey program into production. The Marines and the secretary of the Navy "should exonerate" the pilots, Schafer said. "Let's remove the dishonor."
Read more: Sky Talk: V-22 widows: Pilots not to blame for Marana crash; one Marine Osprey pilot agrees
Have the omitted test points been tested since the Marana Accident? If so...what were the results? Did any restrictions, warnings, cautions result from that testing?
Seems odd 68% of a test flight programme could become victim to a lagging schedule? Is this a regular practice of the USMC, Department of the the Navy, Bell Helicopters?
Any of you folks driving the things now care to enlighten us?
Seems odd 68% of a test flight programme could become victim to a lagging schedule? Is this a regular practice of the USMC, Department of the the Navy, Bell Helicopters?
Any of you folks driving the things now care to enlighten us?
Another shocking hit-piece by Bob Cox against Bell/Textron and the V22. Since he cant find anything new to try and malign he has to dig up old dirt and try to keep these decade old events in the forefront of the media.
Its a tragedy whenever anyone perishes during flight testing. I agree that the term "pilot error" has harsh implications...but it is not actually what was ruled. Read the article: "A Marine spokesman, Capt. Brian Block, said the finding of "human factors" as the cause of the accident should not be equated with pilot error or blaming the pilots."
So if the marines themselves say that "human factors should not be equated with pilot error", why does anyone else?
As an aside, can we all agree at least that anything written by Bob Cox regarding the V22 is going to be anything but objective?
Its a tragedy whenever anyone perishes during flight testing. I agree that the term "pilot error" has harsh implications...but it is not actually what was ruled. Read the article: "A Marine spokesman, Capt. Brian Block, said the finding of "human factors" as the cause of the accident should not be equated with pilot error or blaming the pilots."
So if the marines themselves say that "human factors should not be equated with pilot error", why does anyone else?
As an aside, can we all agree at least that anything written by Bob Cox regarding the V22 is going to be anything but objective?
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"As an aside, can we all agree at least that anything written by Bob Cox regarding the V22 is going to be anything but objective?"
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Last time I checked, "Bell/Textron and V22 customers" are not members of the media who cheekily pose as unbiased journalists.
Nobody is arguing the merits of bias of a company, what do you suppose PR departments and marketing are for?
Now as for a customer, a dissatisfied one would have little reason to laud, would they not? A restaurant doesnt get a five star review for serving cold duck.
When Mr Cox decides to make a career out of maligning a company on all fronts, which is crystal clear if you take even a half hearted approach to a little historical research on his journalistic "contributions", my opinion is of little significance. Anyone with an iota of insight can read any given piece of his and detect a tongue-in-cheek disdain for anything related to Bell/Textron, the V22 usually his favorite whipping boy.
Now as for a customer, a dissatisfied one would have little reason to laud, would they not? A restaurant doesnt get a five star review for serving cold duck.
When Mr Cox decides to make a career out of maligning a company on all fronts, which is crystal clear if you take even a half hearted approach to a little historical research on his journalistic "contributions", my opinion is of little significance. Anyone with an iota of insight can read any given piece of his and detect a tongue-in-cheek disdain for anything related to Bell/Textron, the V22 usually his favorite whipping boy.
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Now as for a customer, a dissatisfied one would have little reason to laud, would they not? A restaurant doesnt get a five star review for serving cold duck.
Libellous remarks removed.
Splot
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Pentagon unveils plan to deploy Ospreys at Futenma in late 2012
Tuesday 07th June, 06:44 AM JST
WASHINGTON —
The U.S. Defense Department said Monday it plans to deploy MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft at the Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture in late 2012.
The MV-22 will replace the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters currently at Futenma. ‘‘We have recently begun discussing the mechanics of the notification process involving with introducing this important alliance capability to Okinawa,’’ deputy Pentagon spokesman Dave Lapan said in a statement.
The decision is likely to draw criticism from local governments and residents in Japan’s island prefecture as the aircraft suffered a series of accidents during its development.
But Lapan said, compared with the CH-46, the MV-22 is ‘‘even safer, generally quieter, and considerably more capable.’‘
Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told Okinawa Gov Hirokazu Nakaima in their talks in early May that the United States will likely announce the deployment plan soon.
Tuesday 07th June, 06:44 AM JST
WASHINGTON —
The U.S. Defense Department said Monday it plans to deploy MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft at the Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture in late 2012.
The MV-22 will replace the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters currently at Futenma. ‘‘We have recently begun discussing the mechanics of the notification process involving with introducing this important alliance capability to Okinawa,’’ deputy Pentagon spokesman Dave Lapan said in a statement.
The decision is likely to draw criticism from local governments and residents in Japan’s island prefecture as the aircraft suffered a series of accidents during its development.
But Lapan said, compared with the CH-46, the MV-22 is ‘‘even safer, generally quieter, and considerably more capable.’‘
Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told Okinawa Gov Hirokazu Nakaima in their talks in early May that the United States will likely announce the deployment plan soon.
CV-22 Beats MV-22 in CSAR Race
Posted by Robert Wall at 6/7/2011 4:34 AM CDT
The U.S. Marine Corps has gotten a lot of attention for its MV-22 mission, this year, to rescue one of two downed F-15 pilots when the fighter went down in Libya owing to mechanical problems. But the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), not as publicity hungry or savy, has quietly carried out a far more significant search and rescue mission using its tiltrotor.
Almost exactly a year ago, a CV-22 operating out of Kandahar rescued 32 personnel stranded in difficult conditions in northeastern Afghanistan, according to USMC Col. Greg Masiello, the V-22 Joint Program Manager. The CV-22 was based in Kandahar and flew 800 naut. mi. without refueling to recover the troops.
One reason the CV-22 was used for the mission was its ability to fly above 15,000 ft. and thereby fly over the Hindu Kush mountain range. What is more, Masiello says the high altitude capability allowed the CV-22 to fly over extremely bad weather that persisted at lower altitudes and made a rescue using a helicopter impossible.
The mission lasted about 4 hours.
AFSOC currently still sustains a CV-22 deployment to Afghanistan.
Next year, AFSOC will also be the first to stand up an overseas V-22 base, when CV-22s will be based at RAF Mildenhall, U.K.
The U.S. Marine Corps has gotten a lot of attention for its MV-22 mission, this year, to rescue one of two downed F-15 pilots when the fighter went down in Libya owing to mechanical problems. But the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), not as publicity hungry or savy, has quietly carried out a far more significant search and rescue mission using its tiltrotor.
Almost exactly a year ago, a CV-22 operating out of Kandahar rescued 32 personnel stranded in difficult conditions in northeastern Afghanistan, according to USMC Col. Greg Masiello, the V-22 Joint Program Manager. The CV-22 was based in Kandahar and flew 800 naut. mi. without refueling to recover the troops.
One reason the CV-22 was used for the mission was its ability to fly above 15,000 ft. and thereby fly over the Hindu Kush mountain range. What is more, Masiello says the high altitude capability allowed the CV-22 to fly over extremely bad weather that persisted at lower altitudes and made a rescue using a helicopter impossible.
The mission lasted about 4 hours.
AFSOC currently still sustains a CV-22 deployment to Afghanistan.
Next year, AFSOC will also be the first to stand up an overseas V-22 base, when CV-22s will be based at RAF Mildenhall, U.K.
VIDEO: MV-22's shining moment - The DEW Line
Lt Col Romin Dasmalchi, former commanding officer of VMM-266, briefs reporters in Philadelphia on 6 June about the operation in which an MV-22 from his squadron rescued the crew of a Boeing F-15E that crashed in Libya.
V-22 vertical aircraft gets rave reviews - TheHill.com
By John T. Bennett - 06/07/11 08:27 PM ET
NEW YORK — Military and industry officials rave about the V-22 tiltrotor’s performance in Afghanistan but know they need to show the aircraft is worth its high price tag.
The Marine Corps are flying V-22 Ospreys in theater and “it’s more effective than we expected,” Maj. Gen. Jon Davis, Second Marine Corps Air Wing commander, told reporters here recently. “We have only scratched the surface with this aircraft. … “We’re doing things with the V-22 we did not plan to do.”
The V-22 takes off vertically but can fly like a plane, allowing it to travel faster than traditional helicopters. The military is using the craft to haul teams of Marines, special operators, combat rescue personnel and cargo.
But there are questions in defense circles about whether — after years of technical delays and cost spikes —such glowing reviews will be enough to avoid future cuts as White House, Pentagon and congressional officials look for ways to trim the annual Defense budget.
Despite rave reviews from war fighters, the program is among the most expensive at the Pentagon.
Each Osprey has a flyaway cost of $65 million. The Pentagon already has spent over $30 billion on the V-22 program, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In its 2012 budget request, the Defense Department is seeking another $3 billion to buy Marine Corps and Air Force special-operations versions of the V-22.
The Pentagon intends to buy around 450. The majority would go to the Marine Corps, with the Air Force slated to buy around 50.
Those kinds of cost figures lead many fiscal hawks to place the V-22, being built by Boeing and Bell Helicopter, on their lists of Defense programs that should be ended.
For instance, a high-profile debt-reduction panel led by former Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and former Clinton White House budget director Alice Rivlin targeted the V-22 for termination last fall.
The panel targeted Pentagon weapon programs that “might exceed the needs for a mission, that are unduly costly for the capacity they deliver, or that have manifestly failed to fulfill performance expectations.”
Liberal lawmakers often come after the Osprey initiative when looking for places to trim Pentagon spending.
Last month, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to a Pentagon policy bill that would have directed the department to spend no monies on the program in 2012.
Woolsey dubbed the program a “boondoggle” for the “military-industrial complex.” Terminating the program would save more than $12 billion over 10 years, and $2.5 billion in 2012 alone, she claimed.
The House overwhelmingly defeated her amendment, but not before Woolsey said the aircraft has gotten “mediocre marks” from independent auditors and “underperformed across the board.” There are reports the V-22 has struggled in “high-threat environments,” she said.
She also said it has failed to “prove its worth” operationally and has had a number of major crashes. But Davis says it has proven its value, citing the fleet’s strong record in a rugged war theater.
Program officials and advocates are ready to fight back as Washington continues talking about an era of federal spending cuts.
Their embryonic message, as Davis put it: “Why would we terminate something that works?”
Marine Corps and Bell-Boeing officials also say to avoid budget cuts or a reduced buy, they will have to show critics like Woolsey that the fleet is reliable.
Right now, the Osprey’s closely monitored reliability rate in Afghanistan is around 73 percent, according to program officials.
Davis wants to push that figure to 80 percent, saying that would make the V-22 among the military’s most reliable aircraft.
DOD and Bell-Boeing officials are working on plans to make the fleet more reliable.
The challenge, Davis said, “will be getting the dollars to get us there.”
NEW YORK — Military and industry officials rave about the V-22 tiltrotor’s performance in Afghanistan but know they need to show the aircraft is worth its high price tag.
The Marine Corps are flying V-22 Ospreys in theater and “it’s more effective than we expected,” Maj. Gen. Jon Davis, Second Marine Corps Air Wing commander, told reporters here recently. “We have only scratched the surface with this aircraft. … “We’re doing things with the V-22 we did not plan to do.”
The V-22 takes off vertically but can fly like a plane, allowing it to travel faster than traditional helicopters. The military is using the craft to haul teams of Marines, special operators, combat rescue personnel and cargo.
But there are questions in defense circles about whether — after years of technical delays and cost spikes —such glowing reviews will be enough to avoid future cuts as White House, Pentagon and congressional officials look for ways to trim the annual Defense budget.
Despite rave reviews from war fighters, the program is among the most expensive at the Pentagon.
Each Osprey has a flyaway cost of $65 million. The Pentagon already has spent over $30 billion on the V-22 program, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In its 2012 budget request, the Defense Department is seeking another $3 billion to buy Marine Corps and Air Force special-operations versions of the V-22.
The Pentagon intends to buy around 450. The majority would go to the Marine Corps, with the Air Force slated to buy around 50.
Those kinds of cost figures lead many fiscal hawks to place the V-22, being built by Boeing and Bell Helicopter, on their lists of Defense programs that should be ended.
For instance, a high-profile debt-reduction panel led by former Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and former Clinton White House budget director Alice Rivlin targeted the V-22 for termination last fall.
The panel targeted Pentagon weapon programs that “might exceed the needs for a mission, that are unduly costly for the capacity they deliver, or that have manifestly failed to fulfill performance expectations.”
Liberal lawmakers often come after the Osprey initiative when looking for places to trim Pentagon spending.
Last month, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to a Pentagon policy bill that would have directed the department to spend no monies on the program in 2012.
Woolsey dubbed the program a “boondoggle” for the “military-industrial complex.” Terminating the program would save more than $12 billion over 10 years, and $2.5 billion in 2012 alone, she claimed.
The House overwhelmingly defeated her amendment, but not before Woolsey said the aircraft has gotten “mediocre marks” from independent auditors and “underperformed across the board.” There are reports the V-22 has struggled in “high-threat environments,” she said.
She also said it has failed to “prove its worth” operationally and has had a number of major crashes. But Davis says it has proven its value, citing the fleet’s strong record in a rugged war theater.
Program officials and advocates are ready to fight back as Washington continues talking about an era of federal spending cuts.
Their embryonic message, as Davis put it: “Why would we terminate something that works?”
Marine Corps and Bell-Boeing officials also say to avoid budget cuts or a reduced buy, they will have to show critics like Woolsey that the fleet is reliable.
Right now, the Osprey’s closely monitored reliability rate in Afghanistan is around 73 percent, according to program officials.
Davis wants to push that figure to 80 percent, saying that would make the V-22 among the military’s most reliable aircraft.
DOD and Bell-Boeing officials are working on plans to make the fleet more reliable.
The challenge, Davis said, “will be getting the dollars to get us there.”
Israelis favor V-22 Osprey for special ops
Regards
Aser
Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jun 7, 2011
The Israeli air force is sending a team to the United States this month to evaluate the controversial V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that it's eyeing for search-and-rescue and covert special operations.
The successful March rescue of a downed U.S. Air Force F-15 pilot in Libya by an Osprey crew has doubtless enhanced the prospects of the multi-mission aircraft built by Bell Helicopter and Boeing Rotorcraft Systems.
"The (Israeli air force) has had its eye on the V-22 for a number of years and senior officers, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz have flown in it and were impressed with its capabilities," The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.
The Israeli air force is sending a team to the United States this month to evaluate the controversial V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that it's eyeing for search-and-rescue and covert special operations.
The successful March rescue of a downed U.S. Air Force F-15 pilot in Libya by an Osprey crew has doubtless enhanced the prospects of the multi-mission aircraft built by Bell Helicopter and Boeing Rotorcraft Systems.
"The (Israeli air force) has had its eye on the V-22 for a number of years and senior officers, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz have flown in it and were impressed with its capabilities," The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.
Aser
Last month, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to a Pentagon policy bill that would have directed the department to spend no monies on the program in 2012.
Woolsey dubbed the program a “boondoggle” for the “military-industrial complex.”
Woolsey dubbed the program a “boondoggle” for the “military-industrial complex.”
"No subs or primes in my district."
Sorry, I have become cynical over the years. People use that loaded term for specific reasons in their talking points.
Terminating the program would save more than $12 billion over 10 years, and $2.5 billion in 2012 alone, she claimed. The House overwhelmingly defeated her amendment, but not before Woolsey said the aircraft has gotten “mediocre marks” from independent auditors and “underperformed across the board.” There are reports the V-22 has struggled in “high-threat environments,” she said.
But the "savings" is made by removing capability, since the Phrogs are not coming back.
She may, however, be at the root of this gambit be questioning force level numbers, (Do the Marines, need 200, 250, 350, 400? and why a given number?) That line of argument may be very productive in terms of the final buy numbers getting changed.
She also said it has failed to “prove its worth” operationally and has had a number of major crashes.
What galls anybody who pays for them (to include our congressional reps) is how bloody expensive aircraft are , and how easy it is to crash any aircraft. Budget dollars are a zero sum game. Rep Woolsey doubtless has other projects or programs she'd rather see get the funds. So where's her full disclosure?
On the other hand, her objections are part of the process. The operators and supporters have reported back that the value is paying off in operations ... so who do you believe, and why?
Well, what program do you want funded?
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Operating Costs Come Down for V-22 Tiltrotor
By: Bill Carey
June 13, 2011
Military Aircraft
The U.S. Marines and Special Operations Command are currently flying a total of 142 Ospreys.
The cost of operating the Bell-Boeing V-22 Tiltrotor has been significantly reduced in the past year, according to U.S. Marine Col. Greg Masiello, V-22 Joint Program Office manager at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. He said that the program has achieved an 18-percent reduction in hourly operating costs by identifying 43 specific “reliability, maintainability” changes to components and 72 “consumable” parts that can be repaired and maintained. He did not provide absolute numbers for the cost gains.
Masiello briefed reporters on the V-22 program status recently at Boeing Defense, Space & Security facilities in Ridley Park, Pa., where the V-22 fuselage is built and then shipped to Bell Helicopter for final assembly in Amarillo, Texas.
The Bell-Boeing team is on contract to produce 288 Ospreys and is in the third year of a five-year program. The V-22 program of record calls for 458 aircraft. John Rader, Bell Boeing V-22 program manager, said the industry team now is responding to a request for proposals for a second multiyear procurement to 2019.
In addition to the component efficiencies, Masiello said the program is working with Rolls-Royce on changes that could increase time-on-wing of the Osprey’s Liberty AE1107C turbines by 45 percent. He said a software change to an engine-control device could yield another 80-percent improvement in time on wing. The software update is scheduled to fly in August.
There are currently 142 Marine Corps MV-22 and U.S. Special Operations Command CV-22 Ospreys in service with test and training as well as deployed squadrons. The fleet has logged some 115,000 flight hours in theaters that include Iraq and Afghanistan, and about half of those hours were flown in the past two years.
“These aircraft are excelling in the combat environment,” Masiello said. “They’ve been engaged by the enemy; they’ve been hit. All the assumptions that we’ve made with respect to survivability are proven out. We haven’t lost an aircraft due to enemy action.”
Operating Costs Come Down for V-22 Tiltrotor : AINonline
By: Bill Carey
June 13, 2011
Military Aircraft
The U.S. Marines and Special Operations Command are currently flying a total of 142 Ospreys.The cost of operating the Bell-Boeing V-22 Tiltrotor has been significantly reduced in the past year, according to U.S. Marine Col. Greg Masiello, V-22 Joint Program Office manager at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. He said that the program has achieved an 18-percent reduction in hourly operating costs by identifying 43 specific “reliability, maintainability” changes to components and 72 “consumable” parts that can be repaired and maintained. He did not provide absolute numbers for the cost gains.
Masiello briefed reporters on the V-22 program status recently at Boeing Defense, Space & Security facilities in Ridley Park, Pa., where the V-22 fuselage is built and then shipped to Bell Helicopter for final assembly in Amarillo, Texas.
The Bell-Boeing team is on contract to produce 288 Ospreys and is in the third year of a five-year program. The V-22 program of record calls for 458 aircraft. John Rader, Bell Boeing V-22 program manager, said the industry team now is responding to a request for proposals for a second multiyear procurement to 2019.
In addition to the component efficiencies, Masiello said the program is working with Rolls-Royce on changes that could increase time-on-wing of the Osprey’s Liberty AE1107C turbines by 45 percent. He said a software change to an engine-control device could yield another 80-percent improvement in time on wing. The software update is scheduled to fly in August.
There are currently 142 Marine Corps MV-22 and U.S. Special Operations Command CV-22 Ospreys in service with test and training as well as deployed squadrons. The fleet has logged some 115,000 flight hours in theaters that include Iraq and Afghanistan, and about half of those hours were flown in the past two years.
“These aircraft are excelling in the combat environment,” Masiello said. “They’ve been engaged by the enemy; they’ve been hit. All the assumptions that we’ve made with respect to survivability are proven out. We haven’t lost an aircraft due to enemy action.”
Operating Costs Come Down for V-22 Tiltrotor : AINonline
Operating Costs Come Down for V-22 Tiltrotor
