The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey has taken another tentative step on the road to an in-service date with the start of electronic countermeasures testing for the CV-22 variant, destined for use by the USAF.
The tilt-rotor aircraft is being tested at Edwards AFB in California, where it will spend three months suspended from the ceiling at Benefield Anechoic Facility (BAF) while the CV-22 integrated test team assesses the suite of integrated radio frequency countermeasures (SIRFC).
CV-22 programme manager Col Tom Kennedy describes the package as "the heart and soul of the aircraft's defensive countermeasures". The suite includes state-of-the-art integrated threat location and jamming technology, says Kennedy.
One of the major tasks on the CV-22 over the last few months has been a significant rebuild of the vertical stabilisers. "It's pretty much a brand new tail," says Staff Sgt Anthony Achimasi, CV-22 ITT avionics craftsman. "We took the old tail, tore it apart and added structure to beef up the support for the SIRFC antennas."
Interference
Both the send and receive antennas were relocated to the aft section of the tail because they encountered interference in their previous location due to the tail structure.
Checks are being made on the interoperability of the SIRFC with the multi-mode radar on the aircraft. "This interoperability is critical," explains Maj Ernie Tavares, CV-22 development systems manager. "The CV-22 belongs to Air Force Special Operations Command and one of its intended missions is low-altitude ingress – less than 300ft (91m). If the SIRFC and the radar aren't working together, it could jeopardise that mission."
Other tasks in the run-up to countermeasures testing have included adding radar absorbent material near other antennas to reduce reflections, re-routing wires and replacing the original 16ft (4.88m) fixed refuelling probe with an 18ft (5.5m) retractable one that sits flush with the nose when not in use.
Source: Flight Daily News
