via nwfdailynews.com
HURLBURT FIELD — The oldest CV-22 Osprey in the Air Force’s inventory flew its last sortie Thursday morning.Wait.
The 12-year-old CV-22, called an Additional Test Asset (ATA), is a specialized version of the aircraft designed to test new software and hardware modifications for the fleet.
It is expected to go on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio by the end of the year.
“This aircraft has done just about everything from structural testing to software testing to (radar) testing to electronic warfare testing,” said retired Lt. Col. Tom Goodnough, a test pilot for Air Force Special Operations Command. “Everything that’s been released into an operational aircraft has gone through this aircraft first.
“Because it was one of the early pre-production aircraft, it’s become a unique maintenance challenge,” Goodnough said. “It isn’t the same as all the other CV-22s. It has its own logistics and because it has such advanced software, the maintainers don’t always have the technical orders up to date because it hasn’t been released operationally.”
What?
It has its own logistics and because its such advanced software they don't have the technical orders up to date so they have to retire it????
Bullshit meter is spiking.
AFSOC rode CH-53J's hard...till the rivets were popping out and this plane is being put out to pasture now? Something doesn't smell right with this story.
