The MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft--grounded for more than 15 months--is scheduled to take to the air again in late April at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Five of the revolutionary aircraft--built by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing--will return to flight status over an 18-month developmental test period designed to evaluate the improvements incorporated since the V-22 program was revamped.

The resumption of V-22 flight testing was planned after Edward C. Aldridge, under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, signed a program memorandum authorizing continued testing and continued limited production and directing the V-22 Joint Program Office to correct the Osprey's deficiencies. Bell-Boeing has been awarded a $36 million Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contract modification to continue the EMD (engineering and manufacturing development) phase of the program.

Five MV-22Bs--two EMD aircraft and three LRIP (low-rate initial production) aircraft--will go through an 1,800-flight-hour test program. Department of Defense officials said that four of the aircraft will have been upgraded with "Block A" changes--improvements in the routing of hydraulic and electrical lines in the engine nacelles and with an upgraded flight-control software system--under a $19 million NAVAIR contract modification awarded to Bell-Boeing. A further contract award of $63.5 million has been provided to fund Phase I of the MV-22 Block Upgrade Program.

Developmental testing by the V-22 Integrated Test Team of the five aircraft is planned to validate these changes, as well as further refine the aircraft in such areas, NAVAIR officials said, as "vortex ring-state boundaries, dynamic shipboard compatibility, formation flying, combat maneuverability, and low-speed hovering and landing conditions when the prop rotors blow up dust and debris." The aircraft's de-icing, cargo-handling, and radar-warning systems also will be evaluated.

Flight testing of the Air Force's two CV-22B special operations versions of the Osprey is expected to resume in July at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

"Now that we have an approved way-ahead plan, we will return to flight with a methodical and event-driven flight-test program that will deliver an aircraft to the fleet that is safer and more capable than ever before," said Col. Dan Schultz, V-22 program manager for the Department of Defense. He explained that "event driven" means that "progress is based on a clearly articulated set of accomplishments, not a date. ...

"We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the V-22 is a reliable, operationally suitable, and safe replacement for our aging medium-lift helicopters," Schultz said.

The V-22--which entered LRIP in 1999--has been grounded since one was lost in a fatal mishap in December 2000, the second such accident that year. A decision on full-rate production was postponed pending reviews by a Department of Defense Blue Ribbon Panel and an assessment of the safety of the aircraft and the maturity of tilt-rotor technology.

NAVAIR officials said that both studies concluded that there are no inherent flaws in the technology and that the V-22 program should proceed after a number of specific engineering changes have been completed.

A phased return of flights of the V-22 will resume in late April after a flight readiness review by NAVAIR. The Ospreys planned for delivery in late 2003 will be built with redesigned engine nacelles and software systems with certain improvements in maintainability and reliability also incorporated. Another operational evaluation is scheduled to take place between late 2004 and early 2005.

In the meantime, 19 LRIP MV-22Bs at the Bell Textron assembly plant in Amarillo, Texas, are being placed in long-term preservation--a process expected to be completed by December 2002--under a $5.7 million NAVAIR contract award to Bell-Boeing. These aircraft eventually will be modified with the Block A improvements and delivered for fleet service.

Lockheed Martin to Build Advanced Aegis Radar

The ability of the Navy to counter ballistic-missile threats took a major step forward with the award of a $420 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract to Lockheed Martin Naval Electronic & Surveillance Systems (LM NE&SS) for the development of a prototype of an advanced version of the SPY-1 radar, the heart of the Aegis weapon system installed on many of the Navy's surface combatants.

LM NE&SS, based in Moorestown, N.J., will develop the SPY-1E, a solid-state S-band radar that company officials say will provide "greatly improved detection at much greater ranges, a key requirement to counter ballistic-missile threats." The improvements incorporated in the SPY-1E also will enhance the anti-aircraft and anti-cruise missile capabilities of the Aegis system. The current SPY-1 versions--deployed on 61 U.S. Navy ships--can search for and track hundreds of targets simultaneously--"from wavetops to the exoatmosphere"--and guide missiles to intercept them.

The SPY-1E prototype is slated for testing in 2006. Development of the latest version of the system--which has revolutionized the capabilities of the Navy's surface combatants--began in 1999.

"Everyone involved in the development of the SPY-1E is looking forward to bringing new capabilities to the fleet," said Fred Moosally, president of LM NE&SS. "SPY-1E significantly enhances the capabilities of our Aegis Weapon System with the technology needed to defend against next-generation threats."

Pratt & Whitney-Led Team Wins Collier for JSF Propulsion

The National Aeronautic Association has presented the 2002 Collier Trophy, one of the most prestigious awards in aviation, to the industry team led by Pratt & Whitney--a United Technologies company--that developed the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) version of the F135 gas turbine for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

The award of the Collier Trophy recognizes the design, development, testing, and demonstration of the Integrated Lift-Fan Propulsion System that will provide the lift capability for the STOVL version of the JSF to be built by Lockheed Martin.

The Collier citation also honors Rolls-Royce for its work on the lift-fan propulsion system, as well as Lockheed Martin (the patent holder), Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems.

On 20 July 2001, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney officials pointed out, the Lockheed Martin X-35B STOVL JSF concept development aircraft became the first (and so far only) aircraft in history to "perform a short takeoff, a level supersonic dash, and a vertical landing in a single flight."

Defense Industry Notes

* The Italian Navy has selected the LM2500 gas turbine engine and associated reduction gearing--built by GE Marine Engines--for its new aircraft carrier, the Andrea Doria. Four LM2500s will be installed in the carrier--being built by Fincantieri in Riva Trigoso, Italy--in a COGAG (combined gas turbine and gas) configuration, driving two reduction gears each of which will provide approximately 60,000 shaft horsepower. GE Marine Engines has provided 40 LM2500 engines for Italian Navy ships.

* A Raytheon-built AGM-154C JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon) integrated with a Broach penetration multistage unitary warhead--developed by BAE Systems RO Defence in the United Kingdom--has successfully completed a dynamic sled test at a range in Pendine, Wales. The test JSOW completely perforated a steel-reinforced concrete target. The Broach warhead includes a penetrating shaped charge installed in front of a conventional follow-through bomb. The Navy will conduct independent dynamic sled testing of the Broach warhead later this year, and will begin testing of the AGM-154C airframe with the Broach against hardened targets in 2003. In another development, the AGM-154A version of the JSOW has been successfully launched from Air Force B-52 bombers.

* BAE Systems has leased a 54,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Hattiesburg, Miss., as a final assembly point for the M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer, which will replace the M198 howitzer. More than 700 M777s are planned for delivery to the Marine Corps and Army between 2004 and 2010. Each howitzer will be test-fired at nearby Camp Shelby before delivery.

* Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems has been awarded a $24.9 million Naval Air Systems Command contract to develop and test a new version of the BQM-74, a high-subsonic aerial target that simulates antiship cruise missiles and enemy fighter aircraft. The BQM-74F, a significant upgrade of the BQM-74E, will have higher speed, greater maneuverability, and greater range and endurance than its predecessor. Work on the contract began last month and is expected to be completed in mid-2004. The company also was awarded a $29.7 million contract to provide 109 BQM-74Es and associated mission and support equipment.

* DRS Technologies has received orders with a total value of more than $25.5 million for production of and associated support services for UYQ-70 Advanced Display Systems and related computer peripheral equipment for the Navy's Aegis guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, and for the new Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. *"The Aircraft Is the Boss"

How the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Is Being Built to World-Class Standards

By GORDON I. PETERSON, Senior Editor

The Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems facility in El Segundo, Calif., reached a key milestone in January--delivery of the 100th center/aft fuselage subset assembly for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter. Navy and Boeing program leaders joined senior Northrop Grumman officials on the production line to congratulate workers and management for the achievement.

"We have always been known as a program that focuses on performance to plan," said Corey S. Moore, Northrop Grumman's new F/A-18E/F program manager. "We will not only meet the plan--we'll beat it if we can."

Built by a nationwide industry team composed of The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman, GE Aircraft Engines, Raytheon, and 2,000 other suppliers, the Super Hornet's full-rate production is progressing smoothly. This summer, the "Eagles" of Strike Fighter Squadron 115 are scheduled to take the first Super Hornets to sea for an operational deployment on board the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

Northrop Grumman's Super Hornet fabrication plant in El Segundo is a one-million-square-foot facility at "One Hornet Way," adjacent to the Los Angeles International Airport.

The production line's immaculate appearance gives visitors a highly favorable first impression--but that is not its purpose. Rather, the spotless floor, carefully arranged fabrication stands, and neat workstations are representative of the facility's world-class production standards. A large sign is posted in plain view for most workers: Build it as if you were going to fly it!

"Our goal is to make value flow," Moore told Sea Power. "We seek to eliminate waste, save time, and use statistical process-control procedures to ensure we deliver world-class performance."

A number of guiding principles influence the company's manufacturing techniques. "Lean Materials Distribution" ensures that the right components, system subassemblies, and fasteners reach the right worker at precisely the right time in the production process. A comparable "Lean Tool Presentation" results in each worker receiving the correct standard tools needed for the day's tasks. Fabrication tasks also are constantly reviewed, both to reduce complexity and to save time.

Vending-machine technology has been adopted to allow technicians to obtain consumable tools--prepackaged drill bits, for example--with minimum loss of time. A vendor stocks the machines, thus simplifying inventory control and recycling. The sight of workers waiting in line for a tool or rummaging in a bin for a fastener is a thing of the past.

More than 96 percent of the employees at Northrop Grumman's El Segundo plant--who have, on average, 16 years of experience--are qualified for self-inspection of their work. Each worker is authorized to stipulate the need for corrective action, and only that worker can sign off on the control sheet to certify that a specific job has been completed in accordance with company standards. "Continuous product improvement" is the game plan.

"Together with Boeing, we have a saying that 'the aircraft is boss,' " Moore explains. All of the production decisions made on the plant floor reflect the facility's top priority: fabricating a top-quality fuselage subset with zero defects. "We recognize our very significant role in naval aviation," Moore told Sea Power. "We see ourselves supporting the future of naval aviation."

The Super Hornet builds on Northrop Grumman's 25 years of experience manufacturing earlier models of the aircraft, but the F/A-18E/F is, in fact, a new, cutting-edge strike fighter. Compared to earlier Hornets, it boasts a 39 percent increase in internal fuel capacity, greater thrust, increased survivability, additional weapons stations, 20 percent larger wings, and a larger airframe able to accommodate future system upgrades.

Not surprisingly, news that budget constraints have forced the Navy to propose to drop the planned multiyear procurement of Super Hornets from 48 to 44 in fiscal year 2003 is viewed with concern at both Northrop Grumman and Boeing. The program's temporary reduction in scope--at a time when the Navy's aging fleet of tactical aircraft is in desperate need of modernization--could result in production inefficiencies since planning had been geared to the 48-per-year number.

Annual unpredictable swings in production rates only generate program inefficiencies and, eventually, higher costs to American taxpayers. "The issue," Moore told Sea Power, "is having a stable production profile."

The truth, observers say, is that more, not fewer, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets are needed in the fleet today.