This paper describes recent ship suitability tests conducted by the V-22 Test Team in March 2008 aboard USS IWO JIMA (LHD 7). This testing encompassed expanding the Short Takeoff (STO) envelopes and developing a new landing technique termed Minimum Run-on Landing (MROL) to extend V-22 shipboard capability beyond Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) gross weights (GW). The objectives included: initial development of the MROL technique in the shipboard environment; expansion of STO and MROL GW envelopes to 58,000 lb (lb), 10% above the maximum VTOL GW; development of day and night vision goggle STO and MROL wind envelopes to 45 kt headwind and up to 10 kt crosswind; and gathering sufficient data to support analytical tool validation including but not limited to Short Takeoff and Landing Computation (STOLCOMP) software, developed by the Boeing Company, and Generic Tiltrotor software in order to grant day and night vision goggle STO envelopes beyond tested ambient conditions. A total of 3.6 flight hours were flown resulting in eleven STOs and eleven MROLs being conducted. A limited data set was collected due to insufficient time at-sea during this period of shipboard testing. Further testing is planned in order to continue to develop MROL wind and GW envelopes, to expand the current day and night vision goggle STO wind and GW envelope, and to gather additional data in support of STOLCOMP model validation. Although limited data was collected, the V-22 successfully demonstrated shipboard STOs at heavy GWs above VTOL capability aboard LHD 1 class ships. The V-22 also demonstrated that MROLs are a new and safe technique for landing on LHD 1 class ships at an appreciable ground speed across the spectrum of GWs bands.
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