By Gidge Dady
NAVAIR V-22 Public Affairs

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Patuxent River, Md. -As the U.S. government considers long term plans for homeland security, the Air National Guard is looking at how it would employ the CV-22 Osprey in support of its homeland defense missions. The State Adjutant General from Minnesota, Maj. Gen. Eugene Andreotti, recently visited the V-22 Joint Program Office to discuss potential procurement of the Air Force variant, the CV-22, and explore future possibilities of using it for statewide civil support roles and missions.

With a restructured program and scheduled return to flight testing in April 2002, National Guard officials say they are interested and confident in tiltrotor technology and are considering long range plans which may include an option to buy the CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft.

In a peacetime role, the National Guard would use the CV-22 to respond to statewide civil situations that require protection of life and property. During wartime, the CV-22 could then be used to augment the Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command in carrying out a federal mission, such as in Desert Storm.

"We think the V-22 is going to be around for many years. It's a new idea, a new concept, relevant in various area and contingencies, and we feel we would be able to operate this aircraft with crew ratios that will be required," said Andreotti. "We have quite a few units in the Air National Guard and this aircraft would be valuable in our search and rescue (SAR) responsibilities. In addition to the SAR mission, many of the states will be fielding weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) Civil Support Teams. This is an ideal aircraft to support the quick response required of these teams."

Andreotti added that because the V-22 does not require an airport, just an open area to land, it becomes accessible and relevant to state and community missions.

Guard officials say that potential scenarios in which the CV-22 could be employed might
involve terrorists dispensing biological or chemical agents in the air filtration systems of a heavily populated area such as a major shopping mall. In this scenario, a CV-22 could quickly transport a Civil Support Team to the site and land them in an open area such as a parking lot.

The CV-22's quick response time would allow this team to begin their damage assessment much sooner than would be possible with other available modes of transportation. Another statewide use of this platform is for search and rescue because the CV-22 can fly twice as fast as conventional helicopters, has a greater range, and can loiter and search an extended geographical location for longer periods of time without refueling.

Some of these homeland defense missions, in addition to SAR and Civil Support Teams, may extend into disaster relief, counter-drug operations, reconnaissance/ surveillance and security force transport.

The V-22, which can take off like a helicopter and then rotate its rotors and fly like an airplane entered low rate initial production in 1999. The program had approached a major milestone decision to enter full rate production when a MV-22 suffered a fatal accident during a routine training mission in December 2000. Since that time, two important independent reviews conducted by a Department of Defense Blue Ribbon Panel and NASA Ames Research Center have assessed the safety of the aircraft and the maturity of the technology to carry out the
missions of the user services. Both reviews have recommended that the program move forward with specific engineering changes and improvements that will result in a safer and more operationally capable aircraft for fleet use.

Specifically relating to the Air National Guard is a study by Arrowpoint Corporation which is nearing completion of a V-22 mission to capabilities assessment. Early findings show that of a possible 44 traditional and new National Guard missions considered which include state, local and federal support and warfighting operations, the V-22's capabilities could be
considered for 21 of those missions. Some of the new areas of support that the study found would be a V-22 fit include counter-terrorism and unconventional operations. The study revealed that the "V-22 would significantly enhance National Guard mission performance or provide a new capability."

The V-22 is the first production tiltrotor in existence. By combining the hovering characteristics of a helicopter with the speed, range and fuel efficiency of a turboprop airplane, the V-22 can meet multi-service, multi-mission requirements. The V-22's leap ahead technology will provide the Marine Corps and the Air Force with unprecedented capability flexible enough to permit responsive action in a very uncertain world.

The V-22 is scheduled to return to the skies in April of next year when the Marine variant MV-22 test aircraft, located at the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md. will be used to validate the engineering changes and further expand the flight envelope. A month later, the Air Force is expected to resume flight testing for the CV-22, located at Edwards Air Force Base.

"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.

Bell Helicopter Textron (Ft. Worth and Amarillo, Texas) and the Boeing Company (Philadelphia, Pa) jointly produce the V-22 "Osprey."