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| Iraq |
| PLZ EVERYONE PRAY: Osprey Tilt-Rotor Squadron Heads to Iraq |
| 2007-09-24 |
| God Please Keep All The Partz Stuck Together and Up in the Sky Flying. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Marines have deployed to Iraq the first combat squadron of V-22 Ospreys, the tilt-rotor aircraft that spent decades in development due in part to a series of mechanical failures and fatal crashes. Bad JuJu these reporters don't know Shit form Shinola. The Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 and 10 Ospreys left Monday from New River Air Station next to Camp Lejeune aboard the USS Wasp, Marine Maj. Eric Dent said. A typical Osprey squadron has roughly 200 Marines. Duct Tape, Wire, Air Hooks and 'Mo Duct Tape... Marine Corps commandant Gen. James T. Conway said in April the squadron would deploy to Al-Asad Airfield, the second largest air base in Iraq located more than 100 miles west of Baghdad. The squadron, dubbed the "Thunder Chickens," includes 20 pilots and is to spend around seven months ferrying troops, supplies and cargo, Dent said. "Thunder Chickens," LOL!, THAT'll strike Fear into the Marines for sure! The military plans to eventually operate 458 Ospreys, with 360 for the Marine Corps and the others used by the Navy and Air Force, Dent said. I repeat, PLZ EVERYONE PRAY! |
| Posted by:Red Dawg |
| #10 Even the RUSSIAN NAVY wants remore/robo, long range ARMED USV's FOR THEIR SUBS - adds a new dimension to LR UNDERWATER WARFARE. * SHKVAL HYPERVELOCITY TORPEDO - RUSS HAS ALREADY ADMITTED THAT IT DEV THIS TORP NOT ONLY FOR TRADITIONAL ANTI-SURFACE + ANTI-SUB NAVAL WARFARE AGZ THE USN-NATO. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-09-24 19:50 |
| #9 The USDOD, Army-DARPA, etc. is already working on larger, more advanced vertical-lift and related designs, designs capable of lifting IFV's or several dozen fully-equipped combat soldiers. As wid the V22's, the CHINOOKS, etal. helos are there until combat evals of the OSPREYS are completed and incorpor into follow-on design- and combat progs. As the USA moves into deep space, the Army may be taking over the tactical lift-strike functions from the USAF, and perhaps even sealift funcs from the Navy. ALL MAJOR US ARMED SERVICES ALREADY WANT THEIR OWN UAV UNITS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-09-24 19:43 |
| #8 Actually, "they" are modernizing chinooks as fast as they can (up to and including building new fuselages for some craft), and are buying more modernized ones for the army special forces... _and_ had big plans to buy them for the air force too, but that's gotten caught up in the bureaucracy. The GAO wants the AF to buy whatever's cheapest, regardless of the altitudes it's going to have to really function at (seen a map of Afghanistan lately?) I think they want the AF to buy one of the other birds, and when they have to do a rescue where we're actually fighting the damn war they'll borrow one of the new, or rebuilt, or old and not rebuilt Vietnam-era Chinooks to do the job. |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2007-09-24 19:21 |
| #7 Red Dawg, your pessimism may be correct but the Chinook was kknow as the "shit hook" when I was in and fondly known for wrapping into a ball at the slightest excuse. The F-15 lost one of the first aircraft at the end of runway and a great many others were not wonderous during initial fielding. The Maurader was a man-killer til they learned how to fly & maintain it and did a few mods on the wings, engine cooling and landing gear. Yes, we will eventually lose an Osprey with all aboard but how many helicopters with crew will we lose in the meantime? My question will be "does it work for the mission with the same approximate losses as other aircraft with the same mission?". Only time will tell. If in doubt pray and give them a hand up rather than a hand around their ankle holding them back. It's a complex system and a negative attitude will help no one. |
| Posted by: Throger Thains8048 2007-09-24 19:18 |
| #6 lolp Gee, Mr. Dawg - it's an interesting story but the commentary's kind of dry and impersonal, doncha think? agreed lolp, you could say NEGATIVE even. I hope I am dead wrong and proven a fool by posting my opinion. ~:) We will find out fairly soon... Opinion: In a low speed wreak [takeoff and landing], the Tilt Rotor will even be less forgiving to its occupants than the Helicopters it originally was supposed to replace, the 46s & 47s, which btw, were never very forgiving to begin with. Example, V-22 Osprey in Trouble Because engines are way outboard of center-line all sorts of nasty gremlins can mess with aircraft stability and airworthiness [ie. ability to fly] It's hard to imagine an aircraft kicking up more dust than a CH 46 or CH 47 but.. V-22 Osprey lands on *GREEN* field Bell Site, V-22 V-22 Osprey, Boeing Site |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-09-24 18:14 |
| #5 V22 = Bunch of avistion-related parts flying in close formation....... |
| Posted by: OyVey1 2007-09-24 16:21 |
| #4 I wonder if this is why they haven't been replacing aging Chinooks and the like. |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-09-24 15:40 |
| #3 |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-09-24 09:36 |
| #2 Thunder Chickens are go! |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-09-24 09:17 |
| #1 Gee, Mr. Dawg - it's an interesting story but the commentary's kind of dry and impersonal, doncha think? LOL |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-09-24 08:42 |