Airplane-helicopter hybrid Osprey to be tested in desert

Jace Radke

Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

Las Vegas residents may see an odd aircraft flying overhead in the next couple of weeks, and not know if it's a plane or a helicopter.

The VMX-22 Osprey is a hybrid of both that allows for vertical take-offs and landings combined with the faster airspeeds of a jet.

The $77 million aircraft, featuring two large rotors that can tilt 90 degrees from vertical to horizontal, are being tested against the desert conditions on the Nevada Test and Training Range northwest of Nellis during the next two weeks.

"Anything that supports itself by blowing air down is going to create dust," said Marine Col. Glenn Walters, who heads the Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron based in New River, N.C. "We need to develop ways to get into zones despite the dust that is generated.

"I think we are going to see a big dust ball outside in these conditions, but I'm interested in what's going on inside (the aircraft.)"

Helicopters have had problems with dust in desert locations like Iraq. Walters said that the Osprey has the advantage of being able to tilt it's rotors to keep dust away from the aircraft.

In January the Osprey is set to begin it's operational evaluation, and Walters' team will likely return to Nellis for more testing. The aircraft will be tested in all manner of environments, and tactics will be developed by Walters' squadron.

The Osprey has been a controversial aircraft -- three crashes killed 30 Marines between 1992 and 2000.

The program was put on hold in 2000 so the aircraft's hydraulic system and other parts could be redesigned. The testing program was reactivated in August 2003.

If the aircraft passes through the test and evaluation process next year, it could be ready for use in training in 2007 and operational in 2009. In the future the Air Force is scheduled to use Ospreys in Special Forces missions, while the Navy is also scheduled to use the aircraft for rescues and other missions.