Last edited by jaquin : 04-14-2007 at 04:59 PM. Reason: edited for readabiltiy
Try again.
Last edited by jaquin : 04-14-2007 at 04:59 PM. Reason: edited for readabiltiy
"Ironically you quoted one of the very men who actually do fly the Osprey."
Twasnt by accident.
You folks are specialists and can sort wheat from chaff, no pun intended.
NY Times are generalist
Who do they believe in a case like this aircraft with as many deaths before deployment??
Not that they couldnt have done more research and found the same things I as a generalist found, enough to satisfy myself that the deployment is reasonable and the machine has passed is op-evals.
Of course the fact that Lt Col Odin Lieberman was cashierd for falsifying data during development phase does not make NY Times and others very likely to trust officers who speak well of programs in which they have a significant vested interest.
Occams Razor cuts two ways.
From USMC Public Affairs today:
Commandant Announces MV-22 Osprey Deployment
The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James T. Conway, announced today in a press briefing in the Pentagon the planned deployment of the first operational MV-22 Osprey squadron.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) of Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, will deploy to Iraq in September for seven months.
Commanded by Lt. Col. Paul Rock, VMM-263 consists of 171 officers and Marines and 10 MV-22B Osprey Medium Tiltrotor aircraft. Their mission will be to provide medium assault support to II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in Iraq.
This is an historic moment for the Marine Corps. The MV-22 Osprey is the world’s first operational tiltrotor aircraft, with the ability to take off and land vertically, then rotate its proprotors forward to fly like a conventional turboprop airplane. The Marine Corps stood up the world’s first tiltrotor combat squadron, VMM-263, in March 2006. VMM-263 will conduct the first operational deployment of a tiltrotor to Iraq later this year.
With thousands of safe flight hours of testing and training, in environments ranging from shipboard to the desert, the MV-22 is a mature technology that Osprey crews are eager to bring to bear on today’s missions. The decision to send this aircraft to combat in Iraq underscores our confidence in it. The officers and Marines who will fly this aircraft in combat are highly trained, skilled and dedicated professionals; they are the best America has to offer.
The quantum leap in capability represented by the Osprey will give the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) significantly increased flexibility and reach. The Commandant's priority is to provide Marines in combat the best, most capable equipment available. The Osprey will replace the CH-46 Sea Knight and as such represents enhanced capability. The MV-22 can fly almost three times as fast, five times as far, and much higher than the aircraft it replaces. This gives commanders many more options, and offers improved survivability to the Marines it will transport.
The Osprey provides a much greater degree of surprise, safety and combat survivability than the aircraft it will replace. The MV-22 can transit to the target in airplane mode, more than twice as fast but 80% quieter than a helicopter, dramatically increasing surprise and reducing exposure. It can exploit its huge altitude and range advantages to avoid threats, vary routes and pick unpredictable landing zones beyond the reach of helicopters.
The Osprey also boasts a 75% reduction in infrared signature, and is up to seven times less vulnerable to small arms fire than aircraft it will replace, as proven through live-fire testing. It has triple-redundant hydraulics and flight controls, and can safely operate with only one of its engines turning both proprotors.
If you have further questions or would like further information contact Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas at (703) 614-8029.
-USMC-
Is that what became of HMM 263?
That was the last squadron I was in before getting out in Sept 77.
Wow.. It seemed to lose a good chunk of altitude doing that..
Hey Chuck Mk23, I guess it's really going to see combat, isn't it?