NPG14_CHINFO_Web_7Mar14

U.S. NAVY PROGRAM GUIDE 2014
Status
The MH-53E program is executing an in-service sustainment strategy
to ensure continued AMCM and heavy lift support to the sea base until
the transition to the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission
Package is complete. The sustainment strategy addresses fatigue,
obsolescence, readiness, and safety issues. A Fatigue Life Extension has
been completed, which extended the aircraft service life to 10,000 hours,
enabling the Navy to maintain a dedicated AMCM capability through
the 2025 timeframe. The USS Ponce has been designated as an interim
afloat forward staging base (AFSBI 15) to provide staging for the MH-
53E and associated airborne mine-hunting and mine-sweeping systems
enabling a more rapid and sustained deployment of AMCM forces.
Developers
Sikorsky Aircraft
General Electric
Stratford, Connecticut, USA
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
MV-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft
Description
The MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft is an advanced technology
vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL), multi-purpose
tactical aircraft replacing the Vietnam-era CH-46E Sea Knight
CH-53D Super Stallion helicopters. The MV-22 is a multi-mission
aircraft designed for use by the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force.
The MV-22 joins the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) and Landing
Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) as the seabasing connectors necessary
to execute expeditionary maneuver warfare. Specific missions for
the MV-22 include expeditionary assault from land or sea, medium-lift
assault support, aerial delivery, tactical recovery of aircraft
and personnel, air evacuation, and rapid insertion and extraction.
The MV-22’s design incorporates composite materials, fly-bywire
flight controls, digital cockpits, and advanced manufacturing
processes. The MV-22’s prop-rotor system, engine, and transmissions
are mounted on each wingtip and allow it to operate as a helicopter
for takeoff and landing. Once airborne, the nacelles rotate
forward 90 degrees, transitioning the MV-22 into a high-speed,
high-altitude, fuel-efficient turboprop aircraft. The MV-22 is the
cornerstone of Marine Corps assault support capability, with the
speed, endurance, and survivability needed to fight and win on tomorrow’s
battlefields. This combat multiplier represents a quantum
improvement in strategic mobility and tactical flexibility for
expeditionary forces. The Osprey has a 325-nautical mile combat
radius, can cruise at 262 knots, and can carry 24 combat-equipped
Marines or a 12,500-pound external load. With a 2,100 nauticalmile
single-aerial refueling range, the aircraft also has a strategic
self-deployment capability.
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