Interesting six year old article from Aviationtoday.com that certainly expected the Osprey to be a competitor for Marine One. The article seems to think that costs will be the Osprey's biggest hurdle but as that appeared not to be a factor, I really would like to know why the Osprey wasn't selected?
http://www.aviationtoday.com/cgi/rw/sho ... litary.htm
Bell Boeing V-22
A tiltrotor replacement for the VH-3D is perhaps the most intriguing possibility. In the amphibious assault role, the MV-22, the Marine Corps variant, has overwhelming advantages over conventional helicopters. Many, if not all, of these advantages are applicable to the White House mission.
But the disadvantages also loom large. The most notable issue for the V-22 is the technology itself, which represents a significant shift away from the tried and true for a squadron and a bureaucracy that are inherently conservative. Cost also may be a factor, as will hangar and landing facilities and air transportability.
The V-22’s speed and range, and the resulting reduction in vulnerability are convincing benefits. Instead of multiple sorties on a variety of aircraft, routine trips to places like Boston, New York or Chicago could be accomplished with a single sortie originating at the White House. That kind of operational flexibility offers significant schedule, security and cost advantages over the current way of doing business.
Another consideration is commonality, particularly in training. In the Marine Corps only HMX-1 flies the H-3, so there is no population of experienced H-3 pilots in the operating forces to draw on. Not only will the fleet be filled with hundreds of MV-22s; HMX-1 will replace its own CH-46Es with new MV-22s.
As an example of the benefits commonality brings, consider that fleet pilots coming to HMX-1 with 1,500 flight hours typically require 47 weeks to go from check-in to "mission ready." For Presidential Command Pilots, that process can take three to four years. A pilot from the fleet requires at least 40 flight hours and 17 syllabus flights to be fully qualified in the VH-3D. Having pilots already experienced in the aircraft they will fly at HMX-1 not only benefits the squadron, but provides valuable flight time for when those aviators return to an operational fleet squadron.
Add to that the logistics and cost advantages associated with having a common platform in the fleet and in the presidential mission, and commonality joins operational performance as a long pole in the Bell Boeing tent.
But the V-22 always had its critics, and the old arguments against tiltrotors will be dusted off and trotted out once more.
Fortunately for Bell Boeing, those arguments have been found wanting in the past. Countless official studies have validated the V-22 as the best solution for replacing in-service medium-lift helicopters. What will be different this time is that the V-22’s operational performance will be there for everyone to see. A trouble-free transition to the fleet and sustained operational effectiveness won’t ensure success for Bell Boeing in the executive helo competition, but without them, the V-22 won’t stand a chance.
The other challenge facing the V-22 has more to do with the requirements and acquisition process than with the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various competitors. A requirements document will be drafted to support replacing the VH-3Ds. The tiltrotor has some significant advantages over conventional helicopters, and if the requirements document places a premium on the tiltrotor’s key attributes—notably speed and range—it will boost the V-22.
But drafting the document that way will necessarily reduce the field of potential competitors, something the Navy (which ultimately buys the aircraft) has at times been reluctant to do. If the requirements are "dumbed down" in the interest of leveling the playing field, the tiltrotor may be put at a disadvantage, particularly in terms of cost.
That scenario may seem unlikely, but it’s hardly unprecedented. In the Navy and Marine Corps vertical takeoff unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) competition earlier this year, the performance requirements were relaxed to increase competition. Much to the chagrin of the Marine Corps, the UAV that came closest to meeting the mission requirements, Bell’s Eagle Eye tiltrotor, lost out to a less expensive, less capable air vehicle.
Despite the obvious advantages of the tiltrotor, the Bell Boeing Tiltrotor Team’s success or failure at influencing the requirements process (and the MV-22 accident last April) ultimately may decide the V-22’s fate as an executive transport.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
