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RALEIGH, N.C. - The Marine Corps plans to send the troubled Osprey aircraft into combat zones within a year and is activating a squadron of the tilt-rotor planes this week.

"Obviously, due to operational concerns we don't want to tell exactly when they will deploy," said spokesman Master Sgt. Phil Mehringer at Marine Corps Air Station New River, where the squadron will be based. "But it's certainly going to happen in the near future. Definitely, within a year."

The Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like an airplane, had a troubled start.

Four Marines died in a 2000 crash in North Carolina that was caused by a ruptured titanium hydraulic line. Nineteen others were killed in a crash that year in Arizona that investigators blamed on pilot error.

The Pentagon approved full production of the Osprey in a $19 billion program last year, and the Marines have been showing them off. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld flew aboard one last week.

Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, which will carry the Vietnam-era "Thunder Chickens" nickname of the helicopter unit it is replacing, is to be formally activated Friday. There are about 250 people in the squadron and nine aircraft, Mehringer said.

The Ospreys will replace the aging, Vietnam-era fleet of CH-46E twin-rotor helicopters. The newer aircraft can carry more cargo and fly five times farther at speeds around 300 mph.

<b>V-22 reaches IOC </b>
(Source: US Marine Corps; issued March 7, 2006)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. --- The future of Marine Corps aviation took a large step forward as hundreds of Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Soldiers and family members gathered to watch a ceremony in which the first operational MV-22 Osprey squadron was activated here March 3.

“Commissioning (Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron-263) is a historic day for the ‘Thunder Chickens,’ for our Corps and for our nation,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Moore, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing commanding general. “We have introduced a transformational aircraft into our nation’s forces with the ‘Thunder Chickens.’”

A transformational aircraft because it capitalizes on both the best aspects of the rotary wing and the best aspects of the fixed wing turbo-propeller, Moore explained.

“The (Osprey) is much more survivable than the (CH-46E ‘Sea Knight’) because of its range and it’s speed,” said Moore. “It’s a much more capable aircraft and we expect it to perform (excellent) in battle.”

A capable aircraft that has been in the making since the early 1960’s, some feel the delay has produced the best result.

“I have to tell you, waiting for something this good has been worth while,” said Gen. Robert Magnus, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. “This is a tremendous aircraft. While we are at war, it is a tremendously more survivable platform for the Marines who are in the fight.”

VMM-263, home to more than 150 Marines and the successor to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-263 which cased its colors in June 2005, will carry on the proud name, “Thunder Chickens,” and also the legacy of the former CH-46E “Sea Knight” squadron.

Honored to carry on the name, “Thunder Chickens,” the Marines of VMM-263 are thrilled by the chance to become the first operational Osprey squadron, said Sgt. Maj. Grant VanOostrom, VMM-263 sergeant major.

“They are very excited because they see it as a culmination of those who have gone before them,” said VanOostrom. “They just happen to be the chosen ones who get to bring it into its current existence; we get to reap the rewards of others.”

And VMM-263 can be expected to reap the almost countless rewards, such as being able to travel at speeds of nearly 300 mph, twice the speed of any current helicopter, have up to five times the range of travel and carry three times the payload.

“The Osprey will allow us to self-deploy these aircraft from New River, or (Air Station) Miramar, across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, to anywhere this great nation wants to plant its flag within two to three days,” said Magnus.

Uncertain of the exact date when the Osprey will be supporting ground forces overseas, the squadron feels assured that it will be in the near future.

“We expect VMM-263 to be deployed within the coming year,” said Moore. “We can’t give an exact date, because we aren’t 100 percent sure.”

“There are two things the American people should know about this aircraft,” said Gen. Michael W. Hagee, 33rd commandant of the Marine Corps, during his visit to Marine Corps Air Station New River Feb. 24. “One, it will change the way we fight; it’s faster, larger, air refuelable and the technology is state of the art. Two, it’s the safest aircraft in our inventory. It’s been tested and proven ready to perform.”

And though tremendous efforts will have to made by the “Thunder Chickens” before the first Osprey squadron is ready to deploy, a sigh of relief can be breathed by the Marines, families and friends of the program who sacrificed so much to get to where the stand up could be possible, said Moore.

“We are bringing forth the new capability to replace what has been the backbone of Marine aviation in the CH-46,” said Moore. “With that capability, we take rotary wing assault support, now tiltrotor wing assault support, ahead into the future and assure the success of Marines in battle. We are committing the Osprey to the gunfight.”

-ends-


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LOL, since when is 300mph twice as fast as any helicopter can travel?
Triple the payload of what?
Five times the range of what?

I love lies. Damned lies and statistics...

<b>There are two kinds of soldiers.
Snipers...and targets.</b>
<img src="http://www.creedmoorsports.com/images/SA9121-M21.JPG" border=0>

Well, we'll finally see if this bird is worth a damn.

My motto: pacis per vires

_________________
????

The CH-46 is what, 40 years old?

LOL!

What a freakin scam. AND ALL FOR ONLY 100+ MILLION EACH!

Oh BOY are our Marines lucky....... <img src=newicons/anim_puke.gif border=0 align=middle>

<b>There are two kinds of soldiers.
Snipers...and targets.</b>
<img src="http://www.creedmoorsports.com/images/SA9121-M21.JPG" border=0>

quote:
The Ospreys will replace the aging, Vietnam-era fleet of CH-46E twin-rotor helicopters. The newer aircraft can carry more cargo and fly five times farther at speeds around 300 mph.

FINALLY!! a NEW plane that is actually SLOWER than the A-10!! <img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>


Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a GAU-8A at your side, kid...--Hawg Solo

_________________
\"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a GAU-8/A at your side, kid.\"--Hawg Solo

Related article:

Albuquerque Tribune
March 4, 2006

With Osprey, Military Gets Serious About Future

By Phill Casaus

The Air Force's newest gizmo looks like one of those great toys 8-year-old boys get for Christmas. The V-22 Osprey! It's a bird that's a plane that can fly like a helicopter! (Batteries sold separately.)

The truth is, the Osprey - coming soon to Albuquerque airspace near you - is anything but a plaything.

Its critics call the tilt-rotor, big propeller hybrid aircraft controversial - if not downright deadly. Six years ago, in two crashes, 23 Marines died in the Osprey. In a business where death is not easily absorbed or forgotten, the memories of those incidents remain raw.

Still, the military says the Osprey program is key to the future; the kind of high-tech, big-delivery weapon that will allow American soldiers, sailors and airmen to survive - and dominate - a variety of battlefronts.

And the people on the line? Well, we know what at least a couple of them say.

Lt. Col. Jim Cardoso, charged with training the crews who will someday operate the Osprey, simply leans forward in his green fatigues. His body language says this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

"I hope you can sense it," he says. "It is exciting. I can't imagine being anywhere else."

To be part of the newly formed 71st Operations Squadron, under the umbrella of Kirtland Air Force Base's 58th Special Operations Wing, is to be at the cutting edge of 21st-century fighting.

If it performs as advertised, the Air Force's version of the Osprey could change special operations as the military knows it.

Though anything but sleek, the Osprey can fly farther and faster than the Vietnam-era MH-53 Pave Low helicopters, which have ferried special ops troops and their gear for much of the past three decades.

With the Osprey in play, light troops no longer have to operate on the find-base, build-stagingarea-then-move paradigm that is anathema to those who work, as the saying goes, alone and unafraid.

"We can go globally with this airplane in 24 hours," says Col. Thomas Trask, commander of the 58th. "If you have a couple of staging bases at key points around the Earth, you can move special operations around the world and land them vertically, straight onto a target, in a matter of 24 hours.

"You never even thought like that in helicopters."

For his part, Cardoso can barely wait for the aircraft to begin showing up in a few weeks. Training the four-person crews is an arduous nine-month job - though, truth be told, about 75 percent of that work will be done out of the aircraft, in simulators or in the classroom.

A Silver Star recipient for his actions in leading the rescue of a downed U.S. pilot in Serbia in 1999, Cardoso is mindful of the controversy the Osprey has created. He's just not deterred.

"The only thing I'm concerned about is the legacy of past publicity, which lives on," he says. "Having you here today is a welcome opportunity for us to let the world know that there were problems in the past. They've been fixed. The people getting ready to deploy this thing, their confidence is good."

Adds Trask, also a Silver Star recipient: "I'm not an expert as much as the guys in the squadron, but I know enough about why each one of those (accidents) happened to know that we fixed that issue. Now that's still new technology, and does that mean there's something we haven't figured out or haven't found? That's always a possibility. But we still find that with a helicopter we've been flying for 30 years."

So, here's the thing: What if Trask and Cardoso and their team are right? What if the Osprey is the next star on the special ops horizon? You think kids will look for a plastic remake of the thing in the toy stores?

You bet they will.

Casaus is editor of The Tribune

I too am skeptical of how well the Osprey will perform but for those who dont know about the speed issue see below:

Helicopter Speeds vs Osprey (From Combat Fleets 2005-2006)

Osprey Max 340 kts/ Cruise 275 kts
CH-46 Max 143 kts/ Cruise 134 kts
SH-60 Max 150 kts/ Cruise 126 kts
CH-53 Max 170 kts/ Cruise 150 kts

But of course the above is probably wrong or a lie.

I have heard this question asked many times but I have never heard an answer!

What is the TO weight of a V-22 on short take off mode?!?!?!
Like the harrier jump jet, 600ft runway then take off!

Can it be done?

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote> rickusn I too am skeptical of how well the Osprey will perform but for those who dont know about the speed issue see below:

Helicopter Speeds vs Osprey (From Combat Fleets 2005-2006)

Osprey Max 340 kts/ Cruise 275 kts
CH-46 Max 143 kts/ Cruise 134 kts
SH-60 Max 150 kts/ Cruise 126 kts
CH-53 Max 170 kts/ Cruise 150 kts

But of course the above is probably wrong or a lie.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

The helicopter numbers are a little low, but they can technically be true if they carry a lot of weight at altitude, or a hot day

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Though I Fly Through the Valley of
Death ... I Shall Fear No Evil. For I
am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing!
(Sign over the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base
Kadena,
Japan).