The US Marine Corps is to direct Bell Boeing to develop a directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) installation for its MV-22 Ospreys as it prepares the tiltrotor transport for its first operational deployment, to Iraq in September.
The USMC has already awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to develop DIRCM anti-missile kits for its Boeing CH-46 and Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters in Iraq, with an option to equip Ospreys with the laser jammers, but programme manager Col Matthew Mulhern says a system has not yet been selected for the MV-22s. "A technical direction letter will go out soon [to Bell Boeing] for integration of DIRCM under the Department of Defense's rapid deployment concept," he says.
Efforts to improve the V-22's reliability ahead of its deployment continue. Valves in the fuel system are being redesigned to prevent fuel draining from the wing to the sponson tanks while on the ground, says Mulhern.
The engine air particle separator is also being redesigned to prevent hydraulic failures and a barrier filter is being developed for the shaft-driven compressor on the air-cycle machine to prevent sand ingestion. "You can never have too many filters when you're flying in the desert," he says.
The V-22 programme office expects to agree a multi-year contract with Bell Boeing by December for 167 MV-22s and US Air Force CV-22s to be delivered over five years, saving around $400 million, says Mulhern. Production will ramp up to 36 a year and the contract will include options for up to three additional aircraft each year to cover supplemental purchases or export sales.
Israel and the UK have been formally briefed on the V-22, while Japan has held discussions with Bell and Boeing on co-production, he says.
Related articles:
- Missile jammers to protect US helicopters in Iraq
- USMC readies V-22s for deployment to Iraq
- Osprey lifts off: Bell Boeing V-22 special report
Source: Flight International
