V-22 Program Grappling With New Glitch As Key Review Nears
By Marc Selinger
01/19/2005 07:50:21 AM

The V-22 Osprey joint program office is grappling with a new glitch in the tiltrotor aircraft's engine pod a little more than a week before a key program review.

Program officials said Jan. 18 that the problem involves a gearbox that uses engine power to turn the rotor blades. In six instances since April 30, 2004, including three in the past month, warning lights aboard the Bell-Boeing aircraft have signaled the presence of tiny bits of metal debris in the gearbox. The Osprey has landed safely in each incident.

An initial probe attributed the problem to two parts in the gearbox. One component was installed improperly, a situation that is now being remedied through procedural changes. The other part, which helps connect the gearbox to the engine drive shaft, was improperly treated with chrome, an issue that is undergoing more review.

Program officials do not consider the gearbox matter a "safety of flight issue" because the warning light "gives the pilots plenty of time to land safely," the program office said in a statement. The glitch has not grounded the entire V-22 fleet, though the Osprey unit slated to conduct an operational evaluation (OPEVAL) later this year has stopped flying temporarily to incorporate the latest reliability enhancements, including the gearbox fixes.

"The decision to not fly was simply a management decision, not a safety decision," the program office said.

It is unclear whether the gearbox problem will delay a Jan. 27 program review that is supposed to determine the aircraft's readiness for OPEVAL. OPEVAL, which is currently slated to begin in mid- to late February and conclude by late July, is intended to pave the way for full-rate production approval in the fall and an initial operational capability (IOC) for the Marine Corps in 2007.

The CV-22, the variant being developed for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), is scheduled to undergo an OPEVAL equivalent in late fiscal 2007 or early FY '08, paving the way for an IOC in FY '09.

The Defense Department intends to buy 360 MV-22s for the Marine Corps and 50 CV-22s for SOCOM. The Navy is developing plans to buy 48 MV-22s.

Meanwhile, the V-22 program tentatively has concluded that a windshield wiper was the source of ice that broke off a test aircraft

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