Second Air Force CV-22 arrives at Edwards

11/4/2005 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- The Air Force’s second CV-22 Osprey arrived here Oct. 27. -- two months earlier than the contract’s due date.

The first Air Force CV-22 was delivered for electromagnetic testing to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Sept. 16 and will arrive at Edwards in December. The third CV-22 will be delivered in February 2006.

The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center will use these three aircraft to conduct an operational utility evaluation next summer. If the CV-22 completes the evaluation successfully it will be certified for use in training operations at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., next fall. The initial operational test and evaluation for the CV-22 is planned to begin October 2007.

The Navy’s Operational Test and Evaluation Force and AFOTEC operationally evaluated the MV-22, the Marine variant of the Osprey, between March and June this year. They rated it operationally effective, suitable and survivable.

The CV-22 is the special operations forces variant of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Modifications to the Osprey aircraft made for the CV-22 variant are concentrated in the areas of communication, navigation, mission management and aircraft survivability. The Osprey flight characteristics, including vertical takeoff and landing, short takeoff and landing and conversion to airplane mode.

The Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command plan to purchase 50 CV-22s to conduct day or night long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123012771