The third CV-22 Osprey test aircraft arrived at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 26, 2005. The aircraft can take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Matt Dillier)
OVER EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The first two Air Force CV-22 Osprey test aircraft fly in formation here. A third Osprey arrived at the base Feb. 26. (U.S. Air Force photo by James Haseltine)
by Laura McGowan
Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs
3/1/2005 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- Officials at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., received their third CV-22 Osprey test aircraft Feb. 26 to join their Integrated Test Team.
“The delivery of (the new Osprey) is essential because it helps us to do the necessary testing before operational testing begins in the summer of 2006,” Colonel Eric Garvin, CV-22 Systems Squadron commander, said.
Officials said the Osprey will undergo several weeks of modifications to install special instrumentation to meet the needs of Air Force Special Operations Command: night flying, low altitude operations in bad weather, and search and rescue. The test program includes inertial navigation, electronic navigation, multimode radar and integrated system evaluations.
The Osprey has tilting prop-rotors, which allow it to take off and land like a helicopter but fly like a conventional airplane.
“The CV-22 is beneficial to AFSOC because it combines the best capabilities of the C-130 (Hercules) and the (MH-53 Pave Low helicopter),” said Maj. James Donald, Defense Contract Management Command acceptance test pilot for the CV-22. “The CV-22 allows you to go twice as far as the Pave Low and gives you more landing capabilities than the C-130.”
