February 12, 2025 - No. 07

In This Issue 

: You Can Buy The World’s Largest Operational Flying Boat For About The Price Of A P-51 Mustang 

: The Last Mars Flying Boat Just Made Its Final Flight 

: More Test T-7 Aircraft Could Help Air Force Make Up for Data It Can’t Use

: Avfuel’s SAF availability extends up the East Coast of the United States with the addition of three new supply terminals. 

: What Air Force Maintainers Think of the New Force Design 

: FAA Issues AD for Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 Engines

: US Military Working on Slate of Safety Fixes for V-22 Osprey 

: US Marine Corps modernizes 360 MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to keep them in service until the 2050s.

: ‘New’ F-35 Assembled from Two Wrecked Jets Makes Its First Flight 

: Sikorsky begins Black Hawk ground runs with improved T901 engine

: Cirrus Airworthiness Concerns Raised With G100UL

: Unique Aircraft Designs Changing Aviation Technology

 


 


 


You Can Buy The World’s Largest Operational Flying Boat For About The Price Of A P-51 Mustang
Is owning a huge, 70-year-old firefighting seaplane on your bucket list?

Tyler Rogoway
Posted on Jul 28, 2016

Note: See Amazing photos and videos in the original article. 


Just as China is rolling out its big new multi-role amphibian, the largest flying boats ever flown operationally—the World War II-era Martin JRM Mars—are being put up for sale. The aircraft served the US Navy until the mid 1950s, after which they were acquired as surplus by a Canadian company that modified them for firefighting operations. After already performing decades of air tanker service, they were bought by Canada’s Coulson Flying Tankers Inc., in 2007.

Originally, the Mars, which has a wingspan of 200 feet and a max takeoff weight of 165,000 pounds, was designed as a cargo transport and patrol aircraft, and was the largest allied seaplane built during World War II. By the time the Mars was in production its patrol mission was dropped and the aircraft were to be used primarily as transports. In total, only seven of the big flying boats were built, with just two surviving today; those are the Hawaii Mars II and the Philippine Mars, both owned by Coulson.

Both of Caulson's Martin Mars flying boats seen on dry land during maintenance. 

From their picturesque operating base on Sproat Lake, British Columbia, Hawaii Mars II and Philippine Mars flew contracted firefighting contracts for decades. Although in recent years they’ve had trouble finding steady work, even as America’s similar jet-powered Very Large Air Tanker capabilities have expanded. 

Yet the Mars can do something their modern successors can’t: they can scoop up massive loads of water on the fly. Skimming the surface of rivers and lakes at 60 knots for about 30 seconds is all it takes for the Mars to pick up 7,200 gallons of water. This capability drastically increases their attack rate compared to tankers that require refills at airfields after each evacuation. Each Mars also has a 600-gallon tank of foam concentrate that can be injected into their water-loads.

The fire season of 2015 was the last time a Martin Mars fought a fire, and that was on a very limited basis. British Columbia Wildlife Service had one of the big tankers under a short-term contract during which the aircraft was used five times on four separate fires. The cost of the contract was $736,000.

In 2015, the Caulson was also contracted to train Chinese test pilots in how to handle a large flying boat. The training was needed in preparation for the flight test program of China’s new AG600. The pilots, who were attending International Test Pilot School, collectively spent 22 hours behind the yoke of Hawaii Mars. 

Now, with no contracts to fulfill, the Coulson team brought the Mars to Oshkosh for America’s biggest air show, and as you can imagine, it’s quite the star. 

A buyer could step in with hopes of putting the antique flying boats back into firefighting service, possibly using Philippine Mars for parts to sustain Hawaii Mars II more 
economically. Although, considering Caulson’s view that these boats need a new purpose, this seems doubtful. Additionally, beyond relocating them and their infrastructure, the planes’ business case as firefighting aircraft has proven to be weak at best. This doesn’t mean they’re irrelevant, or even not cost-effective, but the air tanker business is volatile for a number of reasons, including high fixed costs with a very elastic demand along with all the politics and complexities of having government organizations as the sole customer base.  

If aircraft are not flying and earning money, they’re very expensive to maintain in a ready or semi-ready state. The fact that the Mars are 70 years old with no existing support base—not to mention that they’re gigantic and operate on water—only makes this scenario much more fiscally treacherous. 

The Mars follows Caulson's S-76 lead/spotting aircraft. , Caulson/martinmars.com
Still, someone with deep pockets could purchase the aircraft and convert at least one of them into one hell of a flying adventure palace. For the person that has the super yacht and a Gulfsteam 650, this would be an awesome addition.

Yet another issue, though, is that these aircraft are not amphibians; they depend on water for operations and have to be winched ashore for servicing. This severely limits their servicing flexibility and increases their operating costs. Still, having an antique flying mansion would be pretty amazing.

These last examples of the Martin Mars may be best utilized as promotional tools instead of being stuffed into a museum or put back to work drenching fires. Companies like Red Bull and Breitling have invested heavily in exotic warbirds and antique aircraft as brand ambassadors. The Martin Mars, with its tremendous range, huge scale and sea-side visibility, could travel the world as a flying interactive branding tool. There really is no better aircraft for this type of work, as the Mars can plant itself right in front of the coast cities instead of being relegated to airfields.

We’ll keep an eye on these amazing aircraft, and will let you know where they land. 
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

You Can Buy The World’s Largest Operational Flying Boat For About The Price Of A P-51 Mustang



 


 


 


More Test T-7 Aircraft Could Help Air Force Make Up for Data It Can’t Use
Feb. 10, 2025 | By John A. Tirpak

Hundreds of test flight hours Boeing flew in prototype T-7A trainer aircraft cannot be used to assess the system’s operational effectiveness or suitability because the design has changed so much, the Pentagon’s top test official said recently.

Instead, the Air Force’s recently announced plans to buy extra T-7s for testing will allow the service to gather data more quickly and make up for the lost flight hours.

“Boeing flew a total of 548.5 hours in two contractor-owned and -operated prototype aircraft,” according to the recently released 2024 annual report from the office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. “DOT&E will not include test data from these prototype aircraft in its final evaluation of system performance as the prototypes are substantially different from the [Engineering and Manufacturing Development] aircraft contracted.”

As it stands, there is not enough data on the T-7 yet for DOT&E to make a call on its effectiveness or suitability, the report noted.

In January, the Air Force said it will buy four aircraft to increase the T-7A test fleet from five to nine airframes. Officials said the decision will let them move faster on the flight test program and develop curriculum for the T-7A pilot training course, but they also said they were delaying the first production buy of T-7s from fiscal 2025 to 2026.
Part of Boeing’s strategy in its T-7A proposal—it received the contract for the T-X program in 2018—was that its initial design would effectively be “production representative,” and that while the production line was taking shape, testing could be largely accomplished with the prototypes, a label Boeing refused to use at the time.

By compressing the normal developmental timetable, Boeing and the Air Force hoped to reach initial operational capability by the end of 2024. Boeing was confident of this timeline because of the speed it achieved in designing and fabricating the first two T-7As using digital methods, and it bid the program under a fixed-price proposal. Saab is Boeing’s partner on the T-7.

Yet the DOT&E office noted that the T-7 has undergone—and is undergoing—design changes to address “issues including the escape system, flight control software, high angle-of-attack portion of the flight envelope, propulsion, noise and vibration, and departure resistance.”

The report noted that the the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) provided perspective and feedback to Boeing throughout design and developmental testing “AFOTEC published five periodic reports assessing progress towards operational effectiveness and suitability, with a total of 41 recommendations, 37 of which remain open,” the DOT&E report stated.

Test aircraft different from the prototypes can still be used for government-led developmental and operational testing, the DOT&E report states.

Those aircraft started arriving at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in November 2023, and developmental testing began soon thereafter. Boeing delivered the last of the initially planned five test airplanes to Edwards in December 2024. In the past year, those aircraft’s test flights “focused on resolving safety-of-flight issues required for airworthiness certification,” the report states.

The report is not up to date, however, having been written when only three of the five initial EMD airplanes had been delivered. By the end of September 2024, Pentagon testers stated, the Air Force had flown “46.9 hours over 46 missions in EMD aircraft, testing wing flutter, flying qualities, and radionavigation test points” with the majority of developmental testing still to go.

“These events include structural loads, subsystems, tanker formation, crew systems, On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS), mission systems, and high-angle-of-attack testing, which have the potential to drive further software and flight control changes,” the report states.

The DOT&E report noted that developmental testing would not be complete until the end of 2026, a yearlong delay from previous estimates. That estimate did not include the additional aircraft the Air Force is adding to the test fleet.

More recently, the Air Force said it hopes to reach a production decision on the T-7 by fiscal 2026, and initial operational capability by 2027.

While the program continues to suffer delays, it did meet some milestones in 2024, testers noted. That included “initial cold and hot weather testing at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory” at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. However, the report notes that “this initial round of testing revealed several problems that require a second test event at the McKinley Laboratory” in the third quarter of fiscal 2025.

Testers also noted that Air Force student pilots “are highly likely to exceed Mach 1.0 during T-7A designated missions, particularly during the advanced fighter fundamentals course,” but the contract only requires flight to Mach .95. “The program office is … working with Boeing to contract testing in the aircraft’s transonic region prior to IOT&E,” the report says.

Testers also reiterated concerns from previous reports that the T-7A escape system “does not meet minimum safety requirements for the Air Force’s airworthiness certification and is currently operating with high-risk acceptance for airworthiness.”
While a February 2024 sled test “showed improvement at medium-speed ejections for the ejection seat sequencing,” a June 2024 test showed interference from a hose, and the “redesigned canopy fracturing system pattern did not function properly.”

The program “must successfully complete seven more sled tests before the escape system can be certified for airworthiness and IOT&E,” the report said.

The test organization is also keeping an eye on the on-board oxygen generating system. The test plan calls for 46 data points on the OBOGS collected over 10 ground and 100 hours of flight test, including high and sustained-G maneuvering. The system will soon reach the point where, in operational use, the OBOGS would be serviced or replaced, and what is seen then will help DOT&E determine if the system is performing as required. This will be measured against “lessons learned from several fighter aircraft mishaps” in the past related to OBOGS.

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System is another known issue. Fighter aircraft employ AGCAS to prevent loss of life during sustained high-G maneuvers, which can cause the pilot to lose consciousness. While formal requirements for the T-X program didn’t include AGCAS, the program office is working on a strategy to start integrating it by 2026.

Boeing has lost nearly $1 billion on the T-7 program as a result of its delays and issues. The company reported a $500 million loss just this past quarter.




 


Avfuel Powers SAF Expansion With New U.S. Supply Points
Feb. 10, 2025
Avfuel’s SAF availability extends up the East Coast of the United States with the addition of three new supply terminals.

Avfuel Corporation is taking sustainable aviation fuel to new horizons as it facilitates the fuel’s geographic expansion.

Avfuel has announced a total of three new supply points, in addition to a renewed SAF supply agreement, to support increased SAF volume across the Avfuel Network.

Most notably, Avfuel’s SAF availability now extends up the East Coast of the United States with the addition of a supply terminal in Linden, New Jersey. This terminal joins Pasadena, Texas, and Florida’s Port Everglades, which both also established continuous flow this January.

“We have high expectations for SAF volumes in 2025,” said C.R. Sincock, II, Avfuel’s executive vice president. “These new supply points are integral to meeting or exceeding those expectations. No longer is SAF landlocked in the West. With the addition of these terminals—particularly those in New Jersey and Florida—we’ve vastly expanded our supply chain infrastructure to significantly enhance SAF’s accessibility.”

As SAF came available in Linden on January 31, Avfuel wasted no time finding it a new home. Heritage Aviation—Avfuel’s premier branded FBO partner in Burlington, Vermont (KBTV)—is the first Avfuel Network location in the Northeast to commit to consistent supply of SAF. 

While Avfuel’s volume out of Linden will be focused on business aviation users, the company will also make the fuel available to all segments of aviation, including commercial operators.

Avfuel’s expanded SAF network this January resulted from its commercial supply arrangements with Valero Marketing and Supply Company. At the same time, Avfuel was thrilled to ink an extended supply agreement with long-time partner and SAF-producer, Neste, which includes significant SAF volumes out of its Selby and Vopak terminals in Northern and Southern California, respectively.

Together, Avfuel’s production partnerships will help land SAF in the fuel tanks of more operators at more locations across the United States, helping to realize business aviation’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Avfuel’s SAF out of Linden, Port Everglades and Pasadena is made using the HEFA SPK process, meaning it uses lipids—like used cooking oil—to produce the fuel, and can lower lifecycle GHG emissions by up to 80% when compared to conventional jet fuel. With target percentages of 30% neat SAF and 70% conventional jet fuel, this SAF can lower lifecycle GHG emissions by up to 24% when compared to conventional jet fuel.






 


What Air Force Maintainers Think of the New Force Design
Jan. 28, 2025 | By David Roza

Note: See photos in the original article. 

When the Air Force revealed a new force design for its aircraft maintenance career fields Jan. 27, it kicked off a wave of discussion on social media forums about what it might mean for one of the branch’s largest career fields. Air & Space Forces Magazine checked in with former and current maintainers for their thoughts on the sweeping change, which would start to take effect in 2027. 

Proponents of the new design said it could provide junior enlisted Airmen more hands-on time to master the fundamentals of aircraft maintenance, and more experienced Airmen the chance to stay close to the flight line throughout their careers. It might also help prepare maintainers for working in smaller, isolated teams and on next-generation platforms.

On the other hand, critics fear the new design could dilute expertise across the career field and reduce local leaders’ ability to solve complex maintenance problems. Another concern is how the Air Force would switch to the new scheme amid a recent maintainer recruitment slump and resource scarcity. 
The Force Design

The new plan would condense more than 50 aircraft maintenance job specialties down to just seven. Junior enlisted maintainers will start out in a generalist track, a single Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) where they will be trained on the most common maintenance tasks, such as launching, recovering, and fueling aircraft, across multiple airframes.

Under the current system, junior enlisted maintainers start their careers in a specific niche, such as avionics, hydraulics, or structures. But in the new force design, specialization would not occur until the rank of Senior Airman. Once there, Airmen will choose between six tracks: Avionics and Electrical, Aerospace Ground Equipment, Advanced Mechanical, Crew Support Systems, Fabrication, and Intermediate-level engines.

The specialties would not be tied to a specific airframe, which would allow for more assignments and development opportunities, maintenance career field managers at Headquarters Air Force said in a memo.

Once they reach the rank of technical sergeant, Airmen can apply to join the technical track, where they would pick up skills from all six specialties to become “THE nose to tail cross-functional expert” on a given airframe the rest of their careers, managers wrote.

Alternatively, technical sergeants can stay in a specialist track until they reach master sergeant, where they switch to the leadership track, providing institutional and functional oversight. Airmen can stay in the technical or leadership track, or they could switch between the two.

Maintainers from the 18th Maintenance Group remove a tire from a KC-135 Stratotanker during an isochronal inspection at Kadena Air Base, Japan, May 22, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Naoto Anazawa)

Contexts and Concerns
The memo laid out two reasons for the new force design: workload and the possibility of conflict against Russia or China. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi told reporters in September that only 20 percent of maintenance tasks account for 80 percent of the workload. Focusing on that 20 percent early in a maintainer’s career will build “a more agile base of early career maintainers,” the memo said.

The new force design is not an attempt to do more with less, said Flosi and the career field managers. 

“We’re not trying to, like, squeeze 10 people’s worth of work into five people,” Flosi said in September. “We want to have the capability for an Airman to do as much as they have capacity for.”

A more agile maintainer base may help in a conflict against a technologically advanced adversary, where smaller groups of Airmen will have to generate aircraft from farther-flung airstrips. But one Air Force veteran worried the new force design does not address a fundamental problem: lack of resources. 

“While the Air Force claims this policy isn’t about ‘doing more with less,’ it fails to acknowledge that the current maintenance workforce is already operating in a resource-deficient state,” said Chris McGhee, a retired master sergeant who spent 20 years fixing F-16s. 

Last year, an Air Force Times investigation found a five-year high in aviation mishaps in fiscal 2023 and blamed it in part on an estimated 1,800-person shortage in a maintenance corps spread over a fleet of aging, high-demand aircraft.

By 2024, that gap shrank to about 500 maintainers, but it takes time to grow an experienced workforce, and McGhee worries the new force design will drag that out even longer.

“Under the current system, an Airman Basic begins their career in a specific specialty—like hydraulics—and focuses exclusively on building skills in that field,” he explained. “When they arrive at the hydraulic back shop, they aren’t an expert yet, but they’ve developed a solid foundation in hydraulics.”

That Airman Basic can always fill in as a generalist for more universal tasks, but if a critical hydraulic problem comes up, they have the specialized skills to fix it, he said. Switching to a generalist track early on would weaken that foundation for technical depth.

“It also undermines the flexibility to reallocate personnel effectively,” McGhee added. “Instead of being able to move a hydraulics troop to help avionics when needed—and still have a specialist for hydraulics—you end up with generalists everywhere, and specialists nowhere.”

Online commenters made similar points.
“We need technicians who have been reading wiring diagrams as their primary focus for YEARS,” wrote one Redditor who said they worked in environmental and electrical for 11 years. “I need someone who knows what a twisted pair, twisted triplet, and NDC cables are and that they can’t be spliced AT ALL.”

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jacob Millette, 134th Fighter Generation Squadron, crew chief, conducts post-flight procedures on an F-35A Lightning II after arriving at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Jan. 13, 2025. . (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tylir Meyer)

Hands-On
Still, other experts said they were encouraged by the prospect that younger Airmen could get more time practicing maintenance fundamentals under the new force design.

“In my opinion, it seems as if we aren’t giving maintainers a good ‘hands on’ foundation of aviation maintenance, but through the new design, every Airmen will have the opportunity to understand basic aircraft principles practically instead of theatrically through in-class training,” one anonymous production superintendent told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Despite today’s emphasis on specializing early on, the superintendent said he has seen fuels technicians not know how to refuel or defuel their own aircraft, as well as hydraulics technicians who do not know how to verify a jet’s hydraulics system is depressurized.

“In my experience, our Airmen aren’t lazy or unintelligent,” he said. “They are frustrated because they don’t get enough reps in the fundamentals before having to become a specialist.”

The superintendent said he benefited from a flying crew chief prospect program which taught him the fundamentals of aircraft maintenance. Despite starting out as a hydraulics specialist, he soon became qualified on every maintenance task on the C-130.

Once Airmen gain a solid foundation and have a chance to specialize, the new force design may help keep those experienced Airmen on the flight line, said another anonymous maintenance NCO.

Under the current system, maintainers may start out in a specialized track, but by the time they become a noncommissioned officer, they have to take on leadership roles to stay competitive in the promotion cycle.

“If you’re a tech sergeant on the flight line, you might be the most capable mechanic, but you’re not looked at as being successful because you haven’t been a flight chief,” he said. “An Airman can say ‘I can learn how to change this brake really well, or I can find things to do that show me being a capable leader.’”

A commenter on Facebook who said they are a career crew chief made a similar point.

“By the time they [Airmen] got or started to be experts in their career field, they then got into management,” the commenter wrote in a message posted by the administrator of the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page. “By the time one got to E-5 [staff sergeant] he was not [sic] longer turning wrenches full time.”

The new technical track could let experienced NCOs stay hands-on rather than lose their edge in managerial roles. It may also be a chance to re-emphasize the value of technical proficiency.

“What the Air Force has valued, to me, has been leadership skills, but what the Air Force needs is technical skills,” the anonymous NCO said.

Airmen assigned to the 20th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron lift the radome off of an MQ-9 Reaper at Melrose Air Force Range, New Mexico, Dec. 18, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gracelyn Hess)

More Adaptable
A maintenance corps made up of more generalized junior Airmen guided by lifelong technical experts may help prepare the force for operating future platforms whose maintenance needs could look different than today’s fleet. Air Force officials envision a future with more expendable uncrewed aircraft whose service life may be measured in years rather than decades, though it is not clear how close that future might be amid tight budgets and shifting defense priorities.

“What I see is they are trying to make the career field more adaptable to whatever comes next,” the anonymous NCO said. 

For example, the new force design emphasizes that maintainers will be platform-agnostic unless they join the technical track. By contrast, in today’s system, a C-5 maintainer can sign off on an actuator on the jet’s wing, but they may not be qualified to sign off on the same actuator on the tail of a C-17. 

There are valid safety reasons why that’s the case, the NCO said, but it could be a hindrance in a future conflict where Airmen may have to jerry-rig maintenance solutions to launch aircraft from an isolated field in the Pacific.

Implementing the force design will be difficult, said the superintendent, who worried about burnout and clashes between leadership and technical tracks amid a changing cultural dynamic and a nonstop high operational tempo.

“My biggest concern is how do you hold onto the experience long enough to train the maintainers during this transition?” he said. “I worry we might slow promotions and overwork our remaining experts to fill the gaps during the transition.”

Even if the Air force sticks the landing, it will take time for the seeds of such a large transformation to bear fruit. The first generalist track Airmen won’t join the service until 2027.

“People have to buy into it, and they’re probably not going to at first because they’re not used to it,” the NCO said. “It’s a big step in a different direction, but I think it’s necessary.”




 


FAA Issues AD for Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 Engines
Helwing Villamizar
Feb 10, 2025

‍DALLAS — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new Airworthiness Directive (AD 2024-25-10) concerning Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Trent XWB-97 engines. 
Effective February 18, 2025, this AD mandates compliance with measures to address a critical safety issue.
The AD was prompted by reports of damage to the main fuel hose assembly within the fuel manifold, which led to an in-flight engine shutdown. 

If not addressed, this issue could cause a temporary engine fire, heat damage to engine components, and, under certain conditions, escalate into a more severe engine fire, potentially damaging the aircraft structurally.

Applicability, Required Actions
The directive applies to Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97, a high-thrust, advanced turbofan engine specifically designed for the Airbus A350-1000 and A350F aircraft. The model is a long-haul, wide-body jetliner commonly operated by international airlines for high-capacity, long-range routes.

The AD references European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Emergency AD 2024-0174-E, issued on September 5, 2024.
Operators must comply with the required actions and timelines set forth by EASA AD 2024-0174-E. These include:

•	Inspection and Maintenance: Assess the fuel hose assembly for potential damage and wear.
•	Component Replacement: Implement necessary replacements to prevent future failures.
•	Ongoing Compliance: Operators must integrate the AD’s requirements into their maintenance schedules.
•	
Operators may request alternative methods of compliance (AMOCs) through the FAA’s Continued Operational Safety Branch. 

Exceptions to EASA Requirements
The FAA directive specifies that:
1.	Any references to EASA AD’s effective date must be replaced with the effective date of the FAA directive (February 18, 2025).
2.	The "Remarks" section of the EASA AD has not been adopted in the FAA version.

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US Military Working on Slate of Safety Fixes for V-22 Osprey
Feb. 6, 2025 | By Chris Gordon

The U.S. military’s V-22 fleet will receive a slate of improvements aimed at safety as the fallout from a deadly U.S. Air Force Osprey crash off the coast of Japan in late 2023 continues to reverberate across the fleet.

The primary focus of the confirmed changes are improvements to the gearbox, which had a catastrophic failure during an Air Force Special Operations Command flight in November 2023. That failure caused the Osprey to crash into the ocean, killing eight Airmen.

The military plans to install new sensors to monitor for failures, improve the quality of steel used in parts of the gearbox, and field a redesigned input quill assembly, an element of the proprotor gearbox that houses the aircraft clutch, according to the Marine Corps 2025 Aviation Plan issued Feb. 4.

“These modifications will be fleet-wide,” a spokesperson for Air Force Special Operations Command added in an email to Air & Space Forces Magazine. “All variants of the V-22 will receive them.”

The Osprey is known as a tiltrotor aircraft, because its unique proprotor gearbox (PRGB) allows it to fly like a helicopter or a plane. But the gearbox has also been the cause of many safety concerns and several mishaps, including the fatal 2023 crash. The complexity of the aircraft’s transmission has been a known issue since it debuted in the 1990s. The engine, weight, and vibration have to rotate, which puts enormous stress on the gears and driveshaft. 

“We are pursuing several improvements to the PRGB to enhance aircraft safety and improve component reliability and durability,” the Marine Aviation plan said.
The changes outlined by the Marines are coming just months after the Air Force, along with the Marines and the Navy, issued an operational pause for the Osprey fleet after what AFSOC described as another “materiel failure” that had not been seen in the fleet before during a Nov. 20 flight out of Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. That Osprey made a safe emergency landing.

AFSOC controls the Air Force’s fleet of around 50 Ospreys, though it rotates roughly 15 through “flyable storage” as part of previously announced improvements to the fleet.
In the November 2023 crash, metal chips built up in the gearbox fluid, causing the gearbox and drivetrain to fail when a pinion gear cracked. That failure led to a loss of power and caused aircraft to become uncontrollable. The military grounded the Osprey fleet for months as officials investigated what was described at the time as a “materiel failure.”

On Dec. 20, 2024, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which controls Marine and Navy aviation, and works with AFSOC on the Osprey through the V-22 Joint Program office, lifted the operational pause caused by the Cannon emergency for some aircraft. But “based on engineering analysis” NAVAIR issued a fleet-wide fleet bulletin directing the inspection of flight hours on each gearbox, and some aircraft were not cleared to resume flying. NAVAIR said “specifics of the V-22 flight-hour threshold, number of aircraft affected, and additional flight controls will not be released” due to “operational security concerns.”
It is unclear when all the changes will be fully implemented, and the V-22 Joint Program Office could not immediately provide a projected timeline.
Among the changes outlined in the Marine Corps Aviation Plan:

•	“Osprey Drive System Safety and Health Instrumentation (ODSSHI pronounced ‘Odessey’) will install sensors in critical areas of the PRGB and drive train to provide vibration signature data that will allow maintenance to forecast the failure of parts and plan to remove those parts prior to failure.”
•	“A more refined Triple-Melt steel will be the source material for the internal components of the PRGB, which will drastically reduce the likelihood of material defects in critical gears and bearings.”
•	“A redesigned Input Quill Assembly (IQA) will reduce the incidence of the wear-out mode observed in previous IQA failures that led to aircraft Hard Clutch Engagement (HCE) occurrences.”
•	
The quality of the steel used in pinion gear was suspect for years, according to a November 2024 report by Military.com, which reviewed internal Air Force documents. The company that made the part that failed in the fatal crash, Universal Stainless, was sued in 2001 for allegedly producing defective steel for aircraft parts. Now, the military says it is improving the quality of the steel it uses to “drastically reduce the likelihood of material defects in critical gears and bearings” that have caused crashes.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Emily Harvey, 727th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, inspects the engine of a CV-22 Osprey at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, April 23, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Charles Moye
The input quill assembly is an element of the proprotor gearbox, which houses the aircraft clutch, and a program to replace the part has been underway on some aircraft since 2023. 

Over the life of the program, there have been at least 19 cases of hard clutch engagement, officials say. There was a notable rise around 2022, which prompted AFSOC to stand down its fleet and led the Marine Corps and Navy to implement mitigation measures.

Former AFSOC commander and current Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife previously said such incidents result in a “kind of a Christmas tree of lights, caution lights, in the cockpit, and some pretty squirrely flight control inputs” which prompted him to briefly ground the fleet in 2022.

The services later put a flight hour limit on the input quill assembly as officials determined the clutch would wear out over time and had a higher susceptibility to slipping after 800 flight hours. In June 2024, the V-22 Joint Program Office said a newly designed clutch would be fielded around the middle of this year.






 


US Marine Corps modernizes 360 MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to keep them in service until the 2050s.
4 Feb, 2025 - 13:21
Defense News Aerospace 2025

Note: See photos in the original article. 

Released on January 29, 2025, the 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan outlines modernization efforts for the MV-22B Osprey fleet, focusing on fleet restructuring, safety improvements, technological upgrades, and long-term sustainment. Over the past decade, the MV-22 has recorded a Class A mishap rate of 3.15 per 100,000 flight hours, lower than the Marine Corps' average of 3.24 and below that of four other Marine Corps aircraft. The program includes 360 MV-22s across 16 active squadrons, two reserve squadrons, a fleet replacement squadron, an executive transport detachment, an operational test detachment, and a developmental test detachment.
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Since its first deployment in 2007, the MV-22 fleet has conducted 109 operational deployments and logged over 588,000 flight hours, with each aircraft flying more hours per year than any other Marine Corps rotary-wing platform. (Picture source: US Marine Corps)

The MV-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft used by the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy, with Japan also operating the platform within its Ground Self-Defense Force. It replaced the CH-46 Sea Knight for the Marine Corps and has been in combat service since 2007. It uses two Rolls-Royce-Allison AE1107C turboshaft engines and can achieve speeds of 445 km/h with a range of 926 km. It is armed with an M2 .50 caliber machine gun and has a crew of four, including a pilot, copilot, and two flight engineers. The aircraft can transport up to 24 troops or cargo and is used for various operational roles.

Since its first deployment, the MV-22 has been used in Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations, performing medium-lift assault missions. It operates from expeditionary locations and amphibious platforms, featuring aerial refueling capabilities. The fleet has conducted 109 operational deployments and logged over 588,000 flight hours, with each aircraft flying more hours per year than any other Marine Corps rotary-wing platform.

MV-22Bs stationed in Djibouti, Hawaii, and Okinawa support mobility in Africa, Asia, and the Indo-Pacific, contributing to crisis response, contingency operations, and humanitarian missions. The US Marine Corps considers the medium-lift transition complete, with 15 active and two reserve squadrons in service. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 (VMM-264) is planned for reactivation in FY26, with initial operational capability by FY27.

Modernization efforts prioritize safety, sustainment, and interoperability. Upgrades to the drive system—responsible for transmitting power—are under consideration to improve performance and reliability, potentially incorporating new engines or core components. The Osprey Drive System Safety and Health Instrumentation (ODSSHI) program will enable predictive maintenance by monitoring drivetrain components. The V-22 Enhanced Cockpit Technology Replacement (VeCToR) is addressing obsolescence issues and future avionics upgrades. The V-22 Fleet Optimization and Reduction of Configuration Effort (V-FORCE) standardizes fleet configurations and upgrades mission computers to improve digital interoperability.

The modernization program includes 360 MV-22s across 16 active squadrons, two reserve squadrons, a fleet replacement squadron, an executive transport detachment, an operational test detachment, and a developmental test detachment. (Picture source: US Marine Corps)

Structural modifications are being implemented to improve MV-22B reliability. Tailored Nacelle Improvements (TNI) include updates to wiring materials, harness designs, and connectors to enhance maintainability and availability. A new flight control computer will replace the existing system, incorporating automation and augmentation features. To improve safety during operations in low-visibility conditions, enhancements are being made to the aircraft's systems to assist pilots in navigating through dust, fog, or darkness.
These enhancements to degraded visual environment (DVE) flight capabilities will improve handling and reduce pilot workload in low-visibility conditions. Additional efforts include the potential integration of modern electronic warfare systems, as well as survivability enhancements, digital interoperability improvements via the MAGTF Agile Network Gateway Link (MANGL), and integration of mission kits such as Network On The Move-Airborne (NOTM-A) and Intrepid Tiger-II Block V V4.

To optimize fleet readiness, the Marine Corps has reduced the number of unique aircraft configurations, consolidated Primary Aircraft Authorization (PAA) per squadron, and implemented inventory management strategies, including the MV Inventory Management (MVIM) and V-FORCE programs. In the past two years, unique fleet configurations have been cut by 50%, while squadron inventory has decreased from 12 to 10 aircraft, aligning with the Force Design framework.

Safety improvements include enhancements to the Proprotor Gearbox (PRGB), a critical component that transfers power from the engines to the rotors. Recent incidents exposed weaknesses in the PRGB's metal gears, prompting new safety guidelines and planned replacements with more durable versions. The integration of an ODSSHI sensor will provide real-time vibration data, enabling predictive maintenance. Triple-Melt steel is being introduced to improve material integrity and reduce defects in gears and bearings. A redesigned Input Quill Assembly (IQA) is in development to address wear issues linked to previous Hard Clutch Engagement (HCE) incidents.

The Marine Corps' Renewed V-22 Aircraft Modernization Plan (ReVAMP) aims to extend the aircraft's service life by potentially replacing major structural components, such as wings and engine nacelles. These upgrades would keep the Osprey operational into the 2050s and beyond, until the Next Generation Assault Support (NGAS) aircraft is introduced.

Efforts will remain directed at aircraft readiness, survivability, and mission flexibility, with an emphasis on digital interoperability, sensor package integration, and expanded mission kit implementation. While the MV-22B remains a primary aviation platform for Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) and Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations, the NGAS initiative is expected to guide future medium-lift assault transport developments. Upgrades and sustainment efforts will ensure the MV-22B remains operational until a transition plan for NGAS is established.




 


 


‘New’ F-35 Assembled from Two Wrecked Jets Makes Its First Flight
Feb. 11, 2025 | By Unshin Lee Harpley and David Roza

The Air Force’s first-ever effort to stitch two damaged F-35s into a single stealth fighter is nearing its final stages, with successful functional check flights now complete.

Dubbed the “Franken-bird,” the aircraft made its inaugural flight Jan. 16, a spokesperson for the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The fighter is now at Lockheed Martin’s assembly plant at Fort Worth, Texas, for additional tests before it returns to combat status.

There, the aircraft will also undergo final work on the section just behind its nose, which currently has only anti-corrosion primer, to apply low-observable materials.

“According to Lockheed Martin estimates, the aircraft is expected to be completed within an eight-week timeframe, with a projected return date of late March at the earliest,” the spokesperson said. Once the jet receives its final certifications, it will return to Hill and be operated by the 4th Fighter Squadron.

The project is estimated to have cost less than $6 million, a fraction of the typical $80 million for a brand-new F-35A. Dave Myers, lead engineer at the F-35 Joint Program Office, explained in a release that by combining the best parts of both aircraft, the result will be a fully capable jet with no loss in performance. The “new” fighter, designated as tail number -5269, was created from the wrecks of two earlier F-35s:
•	AF-27, which suffered a severe engine fire in 2014 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
•	AF-211, which survived a landing gear collapse in 2020 at Hill
•	
“When we received the aircraft, it was pretty much a shell,” Senior Airman Jaguar Arnold, the aircraft’s dedicated crew chief, said in a release. “There were a lot of tasks to complete that we hadn’t done before at the unit level.”

The “Franken-bird” team included the F-35 JPO, Airmen and civilians from the 388th Fighter Wing and Ogden Air Logistics Complex, and Lockheed Martin technicians. The team created custom tools and equipment to join the aircraft sections at Ogden before the jet returned to Hill in November 2023. Since then, maintainers have worked on the final restoration stages.

Merging the two wrecked planes involved a list of first-time tasks that hadn’t been tackled before. The work included reinstalling landing gear, rewiring the aircraft, rebuilding the cockpit and avionics, and installing a variety of components. The team also procured and installed “belly bands” between and just forward of the air intakes. These bands, made of composite material, provide extra structural support, and reinforced the aircraft’s body after the new nose was installed.

A new Mobil Maintenance System supports the donated nose section from a salvaged F-35 airframe used as an Aircraft Battle Damage Repair trainer at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in October 2023. U.S Air Force courtesy photo

The groundwork for the project was laid back in January 2020, when the JPO turned to Lockheed Martin for insights on repairing F-22s. At that point, the JPO had already started salvaging damaged F-35 components, improving maintenance, and getting creative with parts, including turning the AF-27 into a trainer jet for Aircraft Deployed Battle Repair.

“When we took responsibility for this project, we were taking on something unprecedented at the field level and it wasn’t easy,” said 1st Lt. Ryan Bare, Sortie Generation Flight commander for the 4th Fighter Generation Squadron. “But we were also taking on an opportunity for our maintainers to gain proficiency in this type of work and build experience at the unit level. As a program, and as a unit, we’ve benefited greatly from this.”

The JPO has collected Insights and feedback from the process to update data and procedures for all F-35 maintainers. The service also anticipates this project paving the way for future reclamation tasks with the equipment, techniques, and expertise developed throughout the effort. 

Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing completed a lengthy project to restore a single F-35A Lightning II from two separate, damaged aircraft, and begin its return to combat status. 

The project was an interagency effort between the F-35 Joint Program Office, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, 388th Fighter Wing and Lockheed Martin. Seen here before its functional check flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Todd Cromar)






 


Sikorsky begins Black Hawk ground runs with improved T901 engine
January 31, 2025 
Gregor Ferguson News

Stratford, Connecticut-based Sikorsky has begun ground runs of a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter powered by two GE Aerospace 3,000shp T901 Improved Turbine Engines (ITE). The initial light off and ground runs were executed by a combined US Army and industry test team and operated by Army and Sikorsky pilots.

First flight of the ITE-equipped Black Hawk is anticipated this calendar year. Current Black Hawks are powered by twin GE T700 turboshaft engines developing about 1,900shp each

“Soldiers will rely on Black Hawk helicopters well into the future, and upgrades to the aircraft today will pay dividends for decades, enabling new missions such as deploying and managing launched effects,” said Hamid Salim, vice president of Army and Air Force Systems at Sikorsky, which is now owned by Lockheed Martin.
“A modernized Black Hawk fleet will create new operational opportunities for the Army by extending the capabilities of a proven, fielded fleet to travel farther on less fuel and with more troops and cargo.”

The T901 engine will increase the Black Hawk’s power by 50%, while also improving fuel efficiency. Other improvements planned for the Black Hawk include a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), including a digital backbone, and Launched Effects.

It’s not clear as yet whether, or when, the Australian Army might receive a T901 upgrade for its current order of 40 UH-60M Black Hawks of which 12 had been delivered by the end of 2024. The Australian Army intends to keep its Black Hawks in the same configuration as the US Army, so some sort of upgrade is likely. The Black Hawk helicopter will fly until 2070, the company says.




 


Cirrus Airworthiness Concerns Raised With G100UL
A third video on materials compatibility testing by mechanic Michael Luvara was released Wednesday.
	
Russ Niles
Updated Feb 6, 2025 11:49 PM EST
GAMI photo

California A&P Michael Luvara says he's been told by the owner of a Cirrus SR22 that its composite structure has been damaged by exposure to GAMI's G100UL unleaded fuel to the point where it will have to be ferried to an authorized repair center to be fixed. But GAMI founder George Braly says he's personally inspected the same airplane and the damage is cosmetic only. Further, he said, the fuel has been extensively tested in collaboration with Cirrus and does not damage the structure. Braly's full statement appears below.

Luvara made the comments in the release of his third video showing results of his own testing of G100UL with paint, fuel lubricants and rubber components after some aircraft that have used it since it became available for sale in California reported problems, mainly with paint. He calls the Cirrus owner's experience "serious" and said it has to be investigated. Meanwhile, his third video on the results of his testing reinforce results of his earlier efforts and also show what he says is swelling of rubber fuel lines. The video was released on Wednesday evening.

Braly traveled to Reid-Hillview and Watsonville Airports last weekend to speak with owners of aircraft who have reported issues since the fuel went on sale there in October and November of 2024. He has also been doing his own version of Luvara's tests and said he's been unable to replicate his results, even when using individual components of the fuel known to have solvent properties. He noted that the California 100LL Luvara is using as a control in his tests is likely different in formulation from the 100LL available to him at his home base in Oklahoma. Concerning the Cirrus, he said his own SR22 has been using G100UL for 14 years with no issues and there are now more than a dozen that have been burning it since it became available for sale. His full statement is as follows:

Braly said he's "personally inspected that Cirrus and has found no evidence of any airworthiness issue. It is, obviously, a cosmetic concern, as a result of a prolonged leakage from the drain sump on one side of that Cirrus. That on site evaluation of that Cirrus at RHV is consistent with earlier very extensive testing of the use of G100UL Avgas and its compatibility with the epoxy structures used in Cirrus aircraft. That testing was done both by GAMI and by Cirrus Aircraft. That testing (done independently by Cirrus Aircraft) demonstrated that G100UL Avgas does not in any way degrade the Cirrus fiberglass wing structure. That Cirrus test data was approved by the FAA. It is also worth noting, GAMI’s Cirrus TN SR22, has had G100UL Avgas in the fuel tanks for most of the last 14 years and for all of the last two years. There are no leaks and no evidence of any issue of any kind. Anyone that has any concern about this matter is invited to visit GAMI and inspect that aircraft, and GAMI’s’ recently acquired SR-20 Cirrus, which has had G100UL in the wing tanks for the last three months.”


 


Unique Aircraft Designs Changing Aviation Technology

Advanced engineering has led to the creation of aircraft with remarkable features that enhance performance and efficiency. These innovative designs push the boundaries of flight, introducing new possibilities in aviation. From cutting-edge aerodynamics to futuristic propulsion systems, each model reflects progress in modern air travel, shaping the future of the skies. 


 

Curt Lewis