Those of you in the know who are working on the project please correct the mistakes in the following news article.

I know from reading published reports that the Osprey is currently cleared to bank angles of 60 degrees and pitch angles of 20-30 degrees and that these parameters will be expanded in the near future.

Also, does anyone have personal experience with Philip Coyle?

V-22's combat readiness questioned

By BOB COX

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

When senior Pentagon officials approved plans to increase production of Bell Helicopter’s V-22 Osprey two weeks ago, the decison was based in part on the final report of operational testing results.

But the 44-page report was not an unqualified endorsement. In careful language, it acknowledges that some key questions about the V-22’s capability to perform in combat and real-world military situations weren’t adequately answered during the tests.

A Marine Corps version of the aircraft was effective in "assault support missions in low and medium-threat environments," the report states. Marine test crews "accomplished all required missions within the test limitations encountered."

Bob Leder, a Bell spokesman, said the report shows the V-22 performed well and Marine pilots and ground crews "were very enthusiastic about the aircraft." Military officials also said they will continue to work with Bell and its partner Boeing to expand the V-22’s capabilities.

By almost every objective measurement, the aircraft -- a Marine Corps MV-22 Block A model -- performed significantly better than in the last round of operational testing in 1999-2000.

But the report notes that little realistic testing was done at night and in severe dust environments, and it expressed continued concern about the aircraft’s ability to conduct aggressive defensive manuevers. Critics argue that the aircraft can become unstable if pilots have to maneuver sharply out of certain situations.

In tests against simulated enemy defenses, the report states, "pilots noted that the current flight restrictions on aircraft maneuvering in airplane mode ... restricted the aircraft’s ability to perform defensive maneuvers." Additional testing is needed "in realistic tactical approaches to landing zones in high threat areas," the report adds.

Philip Coyle, former chief weapons tester at the Pentagon, said the new report indicates "the V-22 still hasn’t been proven for combat."

The report language indicates that the Marine test squadron was unable to perform numerous missions or carefully worked around some of the requirements, Coyle said.

"I think they didn’t want anything to go wrong, perhaps, so they only did the easy parts," he said.

In September 2004, the Star-Telegram reported that officials overseeing the V-22 program had previously refused to perform some specific hard maneuvers requested by the testing office for fear of severely damaging the aircraft’s rotors.

Leder, the Bell spokesman, said the company continues to work on improving the aircraft.

"There are always issues," he said. "It’s an enormously complex system. There’s always something we can do to make it better, and we’re doing that."

One defense industry analyst said the report, which wasn’t released until after the decision to approve increased production, was viewed by defense officials as the final link in an unbroken chain of successful tests since the program was grounded in December 2000 after two fatal crashes.

"All of the concerns about the technology have pretty well been resolved," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a consultant to defense contractors.

Although the price tag for the aircraft, about $72 million each, is still too high, Thompson says, he expects the V-22 will be widely adopted by the U.S. and foreign military services and that will bring down the price.

"The Marine Corps’ determination to field the aircraft will lead to it being used for other things," Thompson said, adding he expects the Navy, Air Force and even the National Guard to end up flying the V-22.

Bell and the Boeing Co.’s helicopter division in Ridley Park, Pa., jointly developed and produce the V-22. Bell builds components for the aircraft in Fort Worth and assembles the aircraft in Amarillo.

The testing report contains data on how far the Osprey flew, how fast, and how well, in performing various missions. All comparisons are made to the Marines’ Vietnam-era CH-46 helicopters, rather than more modern helicopters, which critics say can perform most of the same missions as well as the Osprey at far lower cost.

The MV-22 is the Marine version of the Osprey. The Block A model consists of about 35 aircraft built, or rebuilt, since 2001 and contains many safety and performance improvements mandated by the Pentagon after the aircraft’s poor showing in earlier tests.

A Block B version, containing additional improvements, will be built for use by active-duty Marine squadrons. Bell will deliver the first Block B aircraft by the end of the year.

An Air Force version, the CV-22, is being developed and tested for use by special operations forces. It won’t undergo operational testing until 2007.

The report indicates the Block B version, which is supposed to have a machine gun installed and other weight-adding improvements, might not be able to fly as far with a full load of troops and fuel as the test aircraft. It should still exceed the minimum performance requirements.

Coyle said the language of the report reflects the tension between the testing office and the military, and sometimes between members of the test team itself.

The testing office and the military contract with a quasi-independent agency, the Institute for Defense Analysis, for technical analysis and guidance. There have historically been strong disagreements between the weapons testing experts and the military over the conduct and outcomes of tests.

A spokesman with the Navy’s V-22 program office, which supervises development of the aircraft, said the operational testing is designed to measure specific performance requirements, not to answer every question.

The Navy and Marines will continue to work with Bell and Boeing to improve the V-22, said James Darcy, the spokesman. "A lot of the follow-on testing for this aircraft you will see will be aimed at expanding the capabilities."

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/12876711.htm

Here is the link to the Report on Operational and Live Fire Test and Evaluation

http://pogo.org/m/dp/dp-V22-dote-092005.pdf