The latest variant of the Boeing/Bell Textron Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft recently completed its maiden flight at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas. Designed to replace the US Navy's C-2A Greyhound twin-engine, high-wing, cargo aircraft, the CMV-22B Osprey will be used to transport personnel, mail, supplies, and high-priority cargoes between shore bases and aircraft carriers.
Boasting an improved fuel capacity and extended operational range, the tilt-rotor V/STOL CMV-22B Osprey is based on the MV22B variant and builds on the experiences of constructing and operating the MV-22 and CV-22 variants used by the US Marine Corps and US Air Force. It differs in that it is designed specifically for carrier fleet operations.
Powered by two Rolls-Royce Liberty AE1107C engines, which crank out 6,150 shaft bhp each, the CMV-22B can vertically lift 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) of payload like a helicopter before translating to horizontal flight like a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. With its crew of four and 23 passengers, it has a cruise speed of 269 knots (310 mph, 498 km/h), a ceiling of 25,000 ft (7,620 m), and a maximum range of 1,165 nm (1,342 mi, 2158 km).
The Navy has ordered 44 of the CMV-22B with the first expected to be delivered to the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 for testing in a few months and will enter service in 2021.
"With the ability to travel up to 1,150 nautical miles, the CMV-22B will be a lifeline for our servicemen and women out at sea," says Kristin Houston, vice president, Boeing Tiltrotor Programs and director, Bell Boeing V-22 Program. "The quality and safety built into this aircraft will revolutionize the way the U.S. Navy fulfills its critical carrier onboard delivery mission."
Source: Boeing
This may work also with the Custer Channel Wing, very interesting, for which some variants could be tested: position of propeller in leading edge, instead of trailing side, or over the thickest part of airfoil, having a counter-propeller, as per doc Wagner patents, perhaps also an straight tube, no airfoil shape, for channels,...
Who has time, money, and a wind tunel to test this, besides Langley? Salut +
I was hoping this updated version would tout being much 'smarter' than any of the Ospreys before.
You know...we've lost a terrible number of people to the Osprey design.
I was hoping the article would be about how very difficult to crash the Osprey it now is.
I wanted to read of serious onboard artificial intelligence that simply would not allow the machine or its blades to impact anything. Phooey.
We should Never Ever have another Osprey go down.