Wed. Mar. 31/10 Pace51
Real world facts about the V-22 Osprey
Manufacturer: Boeing/Bell:
Speed: 556 Kph
Range: Aquatic Assaults- 1000 km, and 1880 km for search and rescue missions.
Maiden Flight: September 14 1989 (First transition test flight)
Cargo: 25 troops in full battle gear, or 6500 worth of external loads, or 4500 kg internal loads.
Crew: A pilot and a co-pilot/navigator
Powered By: Dual 4593 –kW Allison T406 –AD-400 turboprops
The most dangerous part of a USMC assault is the insertion itself. If something is botched during the insertion, the Marines face large odds. The problem with offshore assaults is that their longest ranged helicopters have a range slightly less than that of artillery guns. This means that they must bring assault ships within range of the enemy guns in order to launch the helicopters. Also, landing craft can be easily picked off by enemy artillery as well. The V22 Osprey is a brilliant innovative aircraft. It has two large propellers mounted on two long arms that stretch out from the middle of the aircraft. The brilliance of these propeller’s is that they can be transitioned. When the aircraft is taking off or landing, the propellers are pointed upwards, allowing the aircraft to take off or land like a helicopter. However, after the aircraft takes off, the propeller’s slowly decrease until both face forwards, allowing it to fly like a standard propeller plane. This means that the Osprey can take off from a small assault ship, without needing a massive carrier, out of artillery range, fly with the range and speed of a plane, and with a sizeable load of troops.
Although the CH-53 helicopter, a cousin of the famous MH-53 Pave Low, can carry 55 troops at once, its range is too low for safe insertions. The V-22 carries about twenty five troops at a time, but has more than twice the range of the CH-53. And because of it’s greater speed, it can transport 75 troops (three trips) into an LZ in the time it takes a Sikorsky CH-53E Sea Dragon to transport 1 load. However, this means that the Osprey will face triple the amount of enemy fire a Sea Dragon would have to face. However, if the marines do their job well, and they usually do, the enemy will be weakened greatly by the time the Osprey makes its second and third trips. Since the marines need light and fast, the Osprey’s are usually launched in groups. Several will carry troops, and several others will transport APC’s and IFV’s that the marine’s can use.
The osprey’s rotors and arms can be folded for under-deck carrier storage. Any carrier vet will tell you how valuable every meter of space is inside a carrier or cruiser. The Osprey’s propellers are in fact quite unique. They have paddle blades, which give the Osprey the power of helicopter rotor’s with the speed of lighter aircraft propeller’s. They are a compromise, however, and are slightly less effective than standard helicopter and aircraft propeller’s. However, the combination gives the aircraft excellent versatility. Bell spent lots of time making endless lines of pre-V-22 prototypes, like the XV-15. It was loved by the marines, who snapped it up instantly, but many American Congressmen are opposed to the aircraft. An interesting feature of the osprey is the sheer power of the propeller’s. The rotor’s are 11.58 meters in diameter, which is huge, and are immensely fire resistant. And as a bonus feature, if one rotor was blown off by Antiaircraft fire, the other rotor still has enough power to keep the Osprey airborne! The V-22’s are positioned with the marines and US forces across the world in specific pattern. No matter if you are in the Canadian Arctic, Siberia, the Sahara desert, or Rio, the osprey can reach you in 36 hours at most.
Celebrity Appearances: In the movie “Transformers”, the V-22 was shown transporting US army troops across the desert. Also, these can be seen in one or two scenes of the movie “The Hurt Locker”.
Real world facts about the V-22 Osprey
Manufacturer: Boeing/Bell:
Speed: 556 Kph
Range: Aquatic Assaults- 1000 km, and 1880 km for search and rescue missions.
Maiden Flight: September 14 1989 (First transition test flight)
Cargo: 25 troops in full battle gear, or 6500 worth of external loads, or 4500 kg internal loads.
Crew: A pilot and a co-pilot/navigator
Powered By: Dual 4593 –kW Allison T406 –AD-400 turboprops
The most dangerous part of a USMC assault is the insertion itself. If something is botched during the insertion, the Marines face large odds. The problem with offshore assaults is that their longest ranged helicopters have a range slightly less than that of artillery guns. This means that they must bring assault ships within range of the enemy guns in order to launch the helicopters. Also, landing craft can be easily picked off by enemy artillery as well. The V22 Osprey is a brilliant innovative aircraft. It has two large propellers mounted on two long arms that stretch out from the middle of the aircraft. The brilliance of these propeller’s is that they can be transitioned. When the aircraft is taking off or landing, the propellers are pointed upwards, allowing the aircraft to take off or land like a helicopter. However, after the aircraft takes off, the propeller’s slowly decrease until both face forwards, allowing it to fly like a standard propeller plane. This means that the Osprey can take off from a small assault ship, without needing a massive carrier, out of artillery range, fly with the range and speed of a plane, and with a sizeable load of troops.
Although the CH-53 helicopter, a cousin of the famous MH-53 Pave Low, can carry 55 troops at once, its range is too low for safe insertions. The V-22 carries about twenty five troops at a time, but has more than twice the range of the CH-53. And because of it’s greater speed, it can transport 75 troops (three trips) into an LZ in the time it takes a Sikorsky CH-53E Sea Dragon to transport 1 load. However, this means that the Osprey will face triple the amount of enemy fire a Sea Dragon would have to face. However, if the marines do their job well, and they usually do, the enemy will be weakened greatly by the time the Osprey makes its second and third trips. Since the marines need light and fast, the Osprey’s are usually launched in groups. Several will carry troops, and several others will transport APC’s and IFV’s that the marine’s can use.
The osprey’s rotors and arms can be folded for under-deck carrier storage. Any carrier vet will tell you how valuable every meter of space is inside a carrier or cruiser. The Osprey’s propellers are in fact quite unique. They have paddle blades, which give the Osprey the power of helicopter rotor’s with the speed of lighter aircraft propeller’s. They are a compromise, however, and are slightly less effective than standard helicopter and aircraft propeller’s. However, the combination gives the aircraft excellent versatility. Bell spent lots of time making endless lines of pre-V-22 prototypes, like the XV-15. It was loved by the marines, who snapped it up instantly, but many American Congressmen are opposed to the aircraft. An interesting feature of the osprey is the sheer power of the propeller’s. The rotor’s are 11.58 meters in diameter, which is huge, and are immensely fire resistant. And as a bonus feature, if one rotor was blown off by Antiaircraft fire, the other rotor still has enough power to keep the Osprey airborne! The V-22’s are positioned with the marines and US forces across the world in specific pattern. No matter if you are in the Canadian Arctic, Siberia, the Sahara desert, or Rio, the osprey can reach you in 36 hours at most.
Celebrity Appearances: In the movie “Transformers”, the V-22 was shown transporting US army troops across the desert. Also, these can be seen in one or two scenes of the movie “The Hurt Locker”.