Acquisition: Fuel Cells of the V-22 Osprey Joint Advanced Vertical Aircraft
Abstract
This audit resulted from allegations referred to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense by the Commandant of the Marine Corps on December 27, 2001. Of those allegations, four concerned the crashworthiness of the fuel cells or tanks installed on the V-22. Specifically, it was alleged by a Marine aviator that: the fuel cell installed in the V-22 was not able to withstand the required lOg (gravitational acceleration) impact; a fuel cell that could withstand the impact was developed but not installed because of structural issues affecting the weight of the aircraft; the V-22 design could have incorporated breakaway fuel cells, which break away on impact to prevent fires and explosions, but, instead, incorporated fuel cells that will burst and flood the cabin with fuel; and because the V-22 fuel cells did not pass the drop test, the V-22 fuel cell standards were lowered to incorporate a cell design that would work and still maintain a weight savings. Appendix B of this report covers those four allegations. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense addressed the other allegations in a separate report, dated August 19, 2002.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 24, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA407722
Entities
People
- Alice F. Carey
- Jack D. Snider
- John E. Meling
- Mary L. Ugone
- Neal J. Gause
Organizations
- Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense