In the late 2000s however the navy began looking to replace the aging greyhound. In the end though
the navy gave in to urging from the marines and decided to pursue the most expensive option the V-22 osprey tilt rotor aircraft. The Osprey has been in development for decades and the promise
of its revolutionary and exceptionally flexible helicopter to airplane flight capabilities have
been tempered with concerns over deadly accidents and high procurement and maintenance costs. Let's just say this change is less than universally acclaimed. Still, the V-22 strengths
are a big deal the nocellas of its twin Rolls Royce T-406 turbo shafts can rotate 90 degrees, switching from vertical helicopter like flight mode to a horizontal airplane like configuration.
While surface ships love the flexibility of using helicopters to land and take off from
virtually any cleared deck or surface, helicopters are limited to significantly lower altitudes and
speeds and can't fly nearly as far as airplanes. For example a typical blackhawk helicopter has
a maximum speed of around 170 to 200 miles per hour in a range of 350 miles while the osprey
can attain 350 miles per hour in horizontal flight mode and fly up to a thousand miles away.
The downside to the osprey is that it's quite expensive to procure and maintain with unit
cost estimates ranging between 70 to 100 million dollars apiece and flight hour costs of eleven
thousand dollars. This is approaching the price of an F-35 stealth fighter and two or three times
the cost of a standard blackhawk helicopter. The Osprey's engines reportedly shed excessive heat, potentially damaging deck surfaces and its powerful rotor wash caused difficulty coping
with brown out landings in dusty environments or deploying troops by rope.
Furthermore B-22s have
suffered over a dozen deadly accidents over the years related to the complexity of the tilt rotor
system. The osprey's troubled reputation has even led citizens of the japanese island of okinawa, site of a major u.s military base to protest having the tilt rotors based there.
The navy's CMV-22B principally differs from the marine ospreys by having enlarged fuel sponsons, extending their range to 1320 miles without even factoring in flight refueling. Additional minor
upgrades include a rapid fuel dump capability, improved cargo bay lighting and a long range
high frequency radio. Compared to the greyhound the tilt rotor has a greater maximum cargo load
of five tons but a smaller volume of internal space and can carry three fewer passengers.
The C-2A has a faster maximum speed 400 miles per hour can fly higher and is way cheaper
at 40 million dollars per unit. But why is the navy attracted by the osprey's vertical liftoff
capability? Because it would allow the osprey to land on ships other than an aircraft carrier.
Previously supplies would have to be ferried by greyhound to a carrier
then moved by helicopter from the carrier to other surface ships in the carrier task force. The Osprey could simply land directly on many of the other surface ships and those ships could
operate farther afield thanks to the Osprey's far greater range compared to most helicopters.
In 2015 the marines tested a method of lugging F-135s by carrying the larger
half of the turbofan on an external sling, though this obviously is less than highly convenient. Boeing is also looking to convince the navy that the CMV-22 could fulfill all sorts of secondary
roles that S-3 Vikings or helicopters use to fulfill, such as anti-submarine
patrols search and rescue of downed airmen, special ops insertion and electronic warfare.
The marine corps is also looking into installing heavier armament and defensive systems on its Ospreys and some of those capabilities could make their way to the navy. In june 2018 the navy signed
a contract for 38 CVM-22 bees to replace its 27C-2 as in june 2018 and reportedly is ready
to activate two operational fleet logistics squadrons and one fleet replacement squadron.
While the aircraft are built personnel will begin training with marine osprey pilots in the VMMT-204 training squadron. Production of the CMB-22B has begun in 2018 with entry into
operational service forecast in 2020. Only time will tell whether the pricey CMV-22B brings about the revolution in logistics the navy is hoping for.
