Marines describe new V-22 health monitoring system

[Zaphod58]

The new Marine Aviation Plan includes details of the new Osprey Drive System Safety and Health Instrumentation (ODSSHI). It will install vibration sensors in specific areas of the Proprotor Gearbox to provide vibration signature data that will allow maintenance to predict the failure of certain parts before they actually fail. They will also use a more refined triple melt steel will be used for internal components of the PRGB. 

They're also working on a new Input Quill Assembly to reduce failures that lead to Hard Clutch Engagements. Currently the fleet is under restrictions that most likely won't be lifted until at least mid year. The Navy and Marines are operating under 30 minute restrictions. They have to be within 30 minutes of a divert field, which translates to roughly 200 miles. The CMV-22Bs on the Carl Vinson fall under these restrictions, meaning the carrier must be within 200 miles of shore whenever they're operating as a COD.

www.aviationtoday.com/2025/02/20/marine-corps-highlights-new-osprey-gearbox-sensors-in-aviation-plan-navy-limit-at-200-miles/

[Avicula]

And all these years, we have been led to believe that even the best and brightest Marines can only be trusted to break ball bearings with bananas…

This is all very interesting. It seems that DOD is gradually making the shift to tilt-rotor craft to eventually take the place of most of what we have helicopters doing now. Anything that can be done to improve the safety and longevity of the craft and the people inside it is welcome. I find it odd that in cases when new capabilities like this actually work as advertised, the technology isn’t made mandatory across the services. If it does what they claim it does, wouldn’t that predictive ability be a GOOD thing regardless of the service?