14 May 2021

Pentagon pursuing V-22 software changes to better present existing information to pilots

by Pat Host

The Pentagon is working on a pair of software changes to its fleet of Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors that will have the aircraft better display existing information to pilots.

Colonel Brian Taylor, V-22 joint programme office (PMA-275) programme manager, said that one of these efforts is the cockpit engine health indicator (CEHI). Col Taylor said that V-22 engine performance declines over time due to ingesting sand and debris from degraded environments.

An MV-22B with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, lands on HMS Queen Elizabeth , at sea on 10 May 2021. The Pentagon is working on a pair of software changes to its fleet of V-22s that will have the aircraft better display existing information to pilots. (3rd Marine Aircraft Wing)

Col Taylor said using the CEHI to give pilots an indication if they are entering a low power engine situation will help their decision making. It would allow V-22 pilots to fly around and clear out their engines before they are caught in a tricky situation.

Another V-22 software effort, the reduced visibility landing system (RVLS), provides pilots a better idea of how he or she is approaching a landing point. The RVLS, Col Taylor said, gives a pilot cuing, improves his or her controls, and enables pilots to get the aircraft on the deck faster.

Col Taylor said these two programmes improve overall Osprey component reliability while also boosting readiness because they reduce the time the aircraft spends in a degraded environment. These two efforts are also a preview of future V-22 software programmes.

The Pentagon is working on a pair of software changes to its fleet of Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltro...

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