Pilots Discuss Use of Osprey

The Osprey is designed with a cross over drive that connects the two rotor systems. If one engine is lost, the other engine is designed to drive both rotors. How successfully this can be accomplished will depend on the configuration of the Osprey at the time of the failure, the load on the aircraft and the environmental conditions it is encountering. With a heavy load at altitude on a hot day, the one engine may only reduce the rate of descent. If the one engine is lost because of battle damage, the damage could be extensive enough to damage the cross over drive. If that happens, then the helicopter becomes uncontrollable. Without ability to auto-rotate, the damage would be catastrophic.

The MV-22 Osprey is very capable of a single engine wave-off (level one-engine out) fully loaded with troops and full of fuel. The engines don't drive the proprotors, they drive a common transmission, which was extensively live-fire tested specifically for the combat support role (In fact, it's the most extensively live-fire tested aircraft to date). Most of our current rotor-craft cannot necessarily do a single engine wave-off when loaded with troops and fuel. In fact, the only aircraft in the Marine Corps Inventory that can do that with full fuel and full of troops is the CH-53E, which is a three-engine helicopter. Not only is the MV-22 capable of flying away fully loaded and full of fuel on a single engine, it can still climb above small arms fire and fly for hundreds of miles to get home.