Source:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/v-22.htm
US Marine Corps News
| May 4, 2015
Four MV-22B Ospreys arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport May 3 to support relief efforts in central Nepal after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the country on April 25.
An international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation has been taking place in and around Kathmandu since the earthquake struck.
These aircraft are part of the first wave of U.S. military aircraft that will arrive in country to support the relief effort.
The United States Agency for International Development has been coordinating the U.S. government's response efforts, conducting disaster assessments, and providing search and rescue capabilities since the disaster struck. On April 29, the U.S. military deployed a 20-person Joint Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team led by Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy, to Nepal to support the USAID'S response efforts. A unique capability was identified during that initial assessment and USAID requested Department of Defense aircraft in order to access to hard-hit areas and speed up the delivery of critical emergency supplies.
'The MV-22B Osprey is the ideal aircraft for this type of HADR mission," Kennedy said. "With its medium-lift capacity and ability to cover large distances in a reduced amount of time,
we'll be able to ferry supplies to outlying villages for Nepalese forces and NGOs to distribute."
Since the Osprey's arrival in Okinawa, it has established a solid track record as the Marine Corps' go-to aircraft for disaster relief, successfully contributing to the humanitarian efforts during Operation Damayan in 2013. During that mission, the MV-22Bs evacuated more than 1,200 people, saving lives and delivering more than 20 tons of supplies to remote areas where neither traditional airplanes nor helicopters could reach.
The MV-22B has the ability to quickly convert from a rotary to fixed wing configuration, which makes it notably faster than more traditional rotary wing assets.
"This means that we can get more relief aid and much needed supplies to more isolated areas in significantly less time," said Kennedy.
USAID has sent plastic sheeting and other critical humanitarian supplies to Nepal to be distributed to families in hard-hit areas such as Gorkha and Sindhupalchok, where homes have severely damaged or destroyed. USAID will identify how the MV-22Bs can best be deployed to expedite these materials to the people that need it the most.
Official sources have reported that more than 5,500 deaths had resulted from the earthquake in central Nepal and another 7,000 people had sustained earthquake-related injuries. 39 of Nepal's 75 districts have been affected.
The United States military has been training with Nepalese forces to respond to just such a disaster for years. Most recently, Kennedy's Marines from the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade worked together with their Nepalese counterparts during two earthquake-focused training events in Nepal in 2013 and 2014.
"It seems unlikely that an amphibious force would come to this landlocked country but this is an event that we have been preparing for with our partners for years," said Kennedy.
The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor vertical/short takeoff and landing (VSTOL), multi-mission air-craft developed to fill multi-Service combat operational requirements. The MV-22 replaces the current Marine Corps assault helicopters in the medium lift category (CH-46E and CH-53D), contributing to the dominant maneuver of the Marine landing force, as well as supporting focused logistics in the days following commencement of an amphibious operation. The Air Force variant, the CV-22, replaces the MH-53J and MH-60G and augment the MC-130 fleet in the USSOCOM Special Operations mission. The Air Force requires the CV-22 to provide a long-range VTOL insertion and extraction capability. The tiltrotor design combines the vertical flight capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and range of a turboprop airplane and permits aerial refueling and world-wide self deployment.
On 17 September 2007 the first combat squadron of V-22 Ospreys deployed for Iraq, beginning a new form of aerial warfare. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, nicknamed "The Thunder Chickens," with 10 Ospreys left for Iraq aboard the USS Wasp, a Navy amphibious assault ship. The departure from the Marine Air Station at New River, NC, was made under tight security without advance notice to the media and with no ceremonial speeches by Marine Corps officials. They will be based at the Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq for at least seven months of combat operations. The Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys will be used to transport combat Marines and cargo throughout al-Anbar province.
During the two-year [2002-2003] flight test program, DoD reviewed buying existing helicopters as an alternative, should the V-22 fail to meet safety and reliability requirements. The FY2004 Defense Planning Guidance (DPG) directed a study of alternatives for the V-22, including the Sikorsky S-92 Helibus, an upgrade of the existing CH-53E Super Stallion, or the AgustaWestland EH101.
From March to June 2005, an operational test and an evaluation was conducted that deemed the Osprey operationally suitable and operationally capable. On 28 September 2005 the Defense Acquisition Board endorsed the V-22 Osprey and recommended moving toward full production of the aircraft. Textron and Boeing will build at least 458 of the V-22 aircraft for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. The Marine Corps accepted the first production Block-B MV-22 Osprey in a ceremony at Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, Texas, 08 December 2005. This progression from Block A to Block B marks the baseline configuration that will reach initial operational capability in 2007. VMM-263 stood up as the first operational MV-22 squadron on 03 March 2006 under the command of Lt. Col. Paul Rock.
The MV-22B configuration aircraft serves as the baseline design. The CV-22 configuration will include additional wing fuel tanks, a Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance radar, and enhanced avionics packages to satisfy SOF specific mission requirements. The V-22 will replace the CH-46E and CH-53A/D helicopters in the Marine Corps; replace USSOCOM's MH-53J and MH-60G helicopters; and supplement USSOCOM's MC-130E/H fleet. CSAR requirements of the USN by the HV-22 variant will augment and replace an as yet to be determined (TBD) aircraft.
Due to its range, payload flexibility, and speed, the MV-22 is envisioned as a major component of the Navy/Marine Corps concept of Operational Maneuver from the Sea. The Air Force requires the CV-22 to provide a long-range VTOL insertion and extraction capability and to supplement the Special Operations Forces (SOF) MC-130 aircraft in precision engagement. The V-22 is expected to operate in both global and regional conflicts in support of operations ranging from peactime engagements to conventional, high-intensity, general warfare. Projected threats to the V-22 include small arms, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), anti-aircraft artillery, missiles and projectiles fired from high performance fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, lasers, and integrated air defense systems.
The V-22 "Osprey" Program is a Department of the Navy program responsible for developing, testing, evaluating, procuring, and fielding a tilt-rotor, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for Joint Service application. The V-22 provides the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps with a multi-engine, dual piloted, self-deployable, medium lift, Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft to be used to conduct combat, combat support, combat service support, and special operations missions worldwide.
The V-22 Osprey Program consists of a Joint Multi-Mission Vertical Lift Aircraft that provides the USMC, Headquarters USSOCOM, USAF, and the United States Navy (USN) with a multi-engine, dual piloted, self-deployable, medium lift, vertical take-off and landing aircraft to be used to conduct combat, combat support, combat service support, and special operations missions worldwide. Missions include, but are not limited to, amphibious assault, land assault, raid operations, medium cargo lift, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), and Special Operations Force (SOF) support. The aircraft (MV-22 for the USMC, CV-22 for USSOCOM, and HV-22 for the USN) are capable of conducting operations in adverse weather, during daylight hours or at night, in climates from arctic to tropical from aviation and air capable ships (primary operating and support sea bases are Amphibious Assault (General Purpose) (LHA) and Amphibious Assault (Multi Purpose) (LHD) class ships, or from improved and unimproved landing sites ashore; and in a variety of conventional, unconventional, and contingency combat situations including Chemical, Biological, and Radiological warfare conditions. An air refueling capability will extend the aircraft's combat mission range when required, and it will be self-supporting to the maximum extent possible.
The aircraft is manned by a pilot, copilot, and enlisted aircrew appropriate for the specific service and type of mission being flown. The V-22 is optimized to transport troops (i.e., 24 combat-equipped Marines, or 10,000 pounds of external cargo) to austere landing sites from aviation capable amphibious ships and expeditionary forward operating bases ashore. The V-22 will be capable of flying over 2,100 nautical miles with one aerial refueling, giving the Services the advantage of a Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft that can rapidly self-deploy to any location in the world.
Testing has confirmed key advantages in range, speed, and payload, in comparison to current rotary-wing aircraft that are inherent to the tilt-rotor concept. In the planning and execution of missions, these three improved characteristics of range, speed, and payload can be interchanged and utilized in countless ways. Together they provide a major step ahead in tactical flexibility. For example, the increased range of the MV-22 (as compared to the CH-46 and CH-53 helicopters) enables the execution of combat assaults at extended ranges. The ensuing greater radius of action will allow the Landing Force Commander more options in LZ selection, enabling the force to go where the enemy isn't. This increased range can also be employed to provide reduced exposure of the LHA/LHD platform to shore threats. In raid or Other Expeditionary Operations, MV-22s will be able to launch at a greater distance, employing greater speed to get to the objective area hours before such an operation using CH-46s. In medical evacuations, the longer legs, greater speed available, coupled with the point-to-point VSTOL capability of the V-22 will save lives.
The V-22 is the first tilt-rotor aircraft to be fielded in the military. It is a hybrid aircraft, combining selected capabilities of an airplane and a helicopter. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has classified tilt rotors as powered lift aircraft, neither airplane nor rotorcraft. The V-22 uses many unique items to achieve its configuration and capability. The airframe incorporates new materials and structural designs. Advanced avionics provide mission enhancement while new wiring technologies increase reliability and reduce weight. New hydraulic technology is also applied. Redundant digital systems such as fly-by-wire flight controls are used in lieu of traditional hybrid redundancies. New processes are applied in the operation and maintenance of the V-22. Examples include the mission planning station used by aircrew before flight, and the maintenance station used between flights to automatically identify defects and conduct trend analysis to predict future maintenance actions.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/v-22.htm
U.S. Marine Aircraft Arrive in Kathmandu
to
Support Nepal Earthquake Relief
By
Capt. Cassandra Gesecki
US Marine Corps News
Four MV-22B Ospreys arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport May 3 to support relief efforts in central Nepal after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the country on April 25.
An international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation has been taking place in and around Kathmandu since the earthquake struck.
These aircraft are part of the first wave of U.S. military aircraft that will arrive in country to support the relief effort.
The United States Agency for International Development has been coordinating the U.S. government's response efforts, conducting disaster assessments, and providing search and rescue capabilities since the disaster struck. On April 29, the U.S. military deployed a 20-person Joint Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team led by Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy, to Nepal to support the USAID'S response efforts. A unique capability was identified during that initial assessment and USAID requested Department of Defense aircraft in order to access to hard-hit areas and speed up the delivery of critical emergency supplies.
'The MV-22B Osprey is the ideal aircraft for this type of HADR mission," Kennedy said. "With its medium-lift capacity and ability to cover large distances in a reduced amount of time,
we'll be able to ferry supplies to outlying villages for Nepalese forces and NGOs to distribute."
Since the Osprey's arrival in Okinawa, it has established a solid track record as the Marine Corps' go-to aircraft for disaster relief, successfully contributing to the humanitarian efforts during Operation Damayan in 2013. During that mission, the MV-22Bs evacuated more than 1,200 people, saving lives and delivering more than 20 tons of supplies to remote areas where neither traditional airplanes nor helicopters could reach.
The MV-22B has the ability to quickly convert from a rotary to fixed wing configuration, which makes it notably faster than more traditional rotary wing assets.
"This means that we can get more relief aid and much needed supplies to more isolated areas in significantly less time," said Kennedy.
USAID has sent plastic sheeting and other critical humanitarian supplies to Nepal to be distributed to families in hard-hit areas such as Gorkha and Sindhupalchok, where homes have severely damaged or destroyed. USAID will identify how the MV-22Bs can best be deployed to expedite these materials to the people that need it the most.
Official sources have reported that more than 5,500 deaths had resulted from the earthquake in central Nepal and another 7,000 people had sustained earthquake-related injuries. 39 of Nepal's 75 districts have been affected.
The United States military has been training with Nepalese forces to respond to just such a disaster for years. Most recently, Kennedy's Marines from the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade worked together with their Nepalese counterparts during two earthquake-focused training events in Nepal in 2013 and 2014.
"It seems unlikely that an amphibious force would come to this landlocked country but this is an event that we have been preparing for with our partners for years," said Kennedy.
Further Reading
V-22 Osprey
The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor vertical/short takeoff and landing (VSTOL), multi-mission air-craft developed to fill multi-Service combat operational requirements. The MV-22 replaces the current Marine Corps assault helicopters in the medium lift category (CH-46E and CH-53D), contributing to the dominant maneuver of the Marine landing force, as well as supporting focused logistics in the days following commencement of an amphibious operation. The Air Force variant, the CV-22, replaces the MH-53J and MH-60G and augment the MC-130 fleet in the USSOCOM Special Operations mission. The Air Force requires the CV-22 to provide a long-range VTOL insertion and extraction capability. The tiltrotor design combines the vertical flight capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and range of a turboprop airplane and permits aerial refueling and world-wide self deployment.
On 17 September 2007 the first combat squadron of V-22 Ospreys deployed for Iraq, beginning a new form of aerial warfare. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, nicknamed "The Thunder Chickens," with 10 Ospreys left for Iraq aboard the USS Wasp, a Navy amphibious assault ship. The departure from the Marine Air Station at New River, NC, was made under tight security without advance notice to the media and with no ceremonial speeches by Marine Corps officials. They will be based at the Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq for at least seven months of combat operations. The Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys will be used to transport combat Marines and cargo throughout al-Anbar province.
During the two-year [2002-2003] flight test program, DoD reviewed buying existing helicopters as an alternative, should the V-22 fail to meet safety and reliability requirements. The FY2004 Defense Planning Guidance (DPG) directed a study of alternatives for the V-22, including the Sikorsky S-92 Helibus, an upgrade of the existing CH-53E Super Stallion, or the AgustaWestland EH101.
From March to June 2005, an operational test and an evaluation was conducted that deemed the Osprey operationally suitable and operationally capable. On 28 September 2005 the Defense Acquisition Board endorsed the V-22 Osprey and recommended moving toward full production of the aircraft. Textron and Boeing will build at least 458 of the V-22 aircraft for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. The Marine Corps accepted the first production Block-B MV-22 Osprey in a ceremony at Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, Texas, 08 December 2005. This progression from Block A to Block B marks the baseline configuration that will reach initial operational capability in 2007. VMM-263 stood up as the first operational MV-22 squadron on 03 March 2006 under the command of Lt. Col. Paul Rock.
The MV-22B configuration aircraft serves as the baseline design. The CV-22 configuration will include additional wing fuel tanks, a Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance radar, and enhanced avionics packages to satisfy SOF specific mission requirements. The V-22 will replace the CH-46E and CH-53A/D helicopters in the Marine Corps; replace USSOCOM's MH-53J and MH-60G helicopters; and supplement USSOCOM's MC-130E/H fleet. CSAR requirements of the USN by the HV-22 variant will augment and replace an as yet to be determined (TBD) aircraft.
Due to its range, payload flexibility, and speed, the MV-22 is envisioned as a major component of the Navy/Marine Corps concept of Operational Maneuver from the Sea. The Air Force requires the CV-22 to provide a long-range VTOL insertion and extraction capability and to supplement the Special Operations Forces (SOF) MC-130 aircraft in precision engagement. The V-22 is expected to operate in both global and regional conflicts in support of operations ranging from peactime engagements to conventional, high-intensity, general warfare. Projected threats to the V-22 include small arms, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), anti-aircraft artillery, missiles and projectiles fired from high performance fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, lasers, and integrated air defense systems.
The V-22 "Osprey" Program is a Department of the Navy program responsible for developing, testing, evaluating, procuring, and fielding a tilt-rotor, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for Joint Service application. The V-22 provides the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps with a multi-engine, dual piloted, self-deployable, medium lift, Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft to be used to conduct combat, combat support, combat service support, and special operations missions worldwide.
The V-22 Osprey Program consists of a Joint Multi-Mission Vertical Lift Aircraft that provides the USMC, Headquarters USSOCOM, USAF, and the United States Navy (USN) with a multi-engine, dual piloted, self-deployable, medium lift, vertical take-off and landing aircraft to be used to conduct combat, combat support, combat service support, and special operations missions worldwide. Missions include, but are not limited to, amphibious assault, land assault, raid operations, medium cargo lift, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), and Special Operations Force (SOF) support. The aircraft (MV-22 for the USMC, CV-22 for USSOCOM, and HV-22 for the USN) are capable of conducting operations in adverse weather, during daylight hours or at night, in climates from arctic to tropical from aviation and air capable ships (primary operating and support sea bases are Amphibious Assault (General Purpose) (LHA) and Amphibious Assault (Multi Purpose) (LHD) class ships, or from improved and unimproved landing sites ashore; and in a variety of conventional, unconventional, and contingency combat situations including Chemical, Biological, and Radiological warfare conditions. An air refueling capability will extend the aircraft's combat mission range when required, and it will be self-supporting to the maximum extent possible.
The aircraft is manned by a pilot, copilot, and enlisted aircrew appropriate for the specific service and type of mission being flown. The V-22 is optimized to transport troops (i.e., 24 combat-equipped Marines, or 10,000 pounds of external cargo) to austere landing sites from aviation capable amphibious ships and expeditionary forward operating bases ashore. The V-22 will be capable of flying over 2,100 nautical miles with one aerial refueling, giving the Services the advantage of a Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft that can rapidly self-deploy to any location in the world.
Testing has confirmed key advantages in range, speed, and payload, in comparison to current rotary-wing aircraft that are inherent to the tilt-rotor concept. In the planning and execution of missions, these three improved characteristics of range, speed, and payload can be interchanged and utilized in countless ways. Together they provide a major step ahead in tactical flexibility. For example, the increased range of the MV-22 (as compared to the CH-46 and CH-53 helicopters) enables the execution of combat assaults at extended ranges. The ensuing greater radius of action will allow the Landing Force Commander more options in LZ selection, enabling the force to go where the enemy isn't. This increased range can also be employed to provide reduced exposure of the LHA/LHD platform to shore threats. In raid or Other Expeditionary Operations, MV-22s will be able to launch at a greater distance, employing greater speed to get to the objective area hours before such an operation using CH-46s. In medical evacuations, the longer legs, greater speed available, coupled with the point-to-point VSTOL capability of the V-22 will save lives.
The V-22 is the first tilt-rotor aircraft to be fielded in the military. It is a hybrid aircraft, combining selected capabilities of an airplane and a helicopter. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has classified tilt rotors as powered lift aircraft, neither airplane nor rotorcraft. The V-22 uses many unique items to achieve its configuration and capability. The airframe incorporates new materials and structural designs. Advanced avionics provide mission enhancement while new wiring technologies increase reliability and reduce weight. New hydraulic technology is also applied. Redundant digital systems such as fly-by-wire flight controls are used in lieu of traditional hybrid redundancies. New processes are applied in the operation and maintenance of the V-22. Examples include the mission planning station used by aircrew before flight, and the maintenance station used between flights to automatically identify defects and conduct trend analysis to predict future maintenance actions.
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