Posted on 09/19/2007 7:04:12 PM PDT by Dubya
WASHINGTON -- The first combat squadron of tilt-rotor V-22 Ospreys has been quietly deployed to Iraq, ushering a new form of aerial technology into 21st Century warfare.
A Marine Corps aviation squadron and 10 Ospreys left for Iraq on Monday aboard the U.S.S. Wasp, a small Navy aircraft carrier known as an amphibious assault ship, said Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Eric Dent.
The departure from the Marine Air Station at New River, N.C., was made under extremely tight security with no advance notice to the media and no ceremonial speeches by Marine Corps officials. "It was just another workday for the squadron," said Dent.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, nicknamed "The Thunder Chickens," will be based at the Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq for at least seven months of combat operations. The Marine Corps Ospreys, known as MV-22s, will be used to ferry combat Marines as well as cargo throughout the predominately Sunni Anbar province.
Dent, citing "operational security," offered only limited details about the deployment and said he was not allowed to discuss the timetable of the trip or expected arrival at Iraq.
The V-22s, which in military-speak can "self-deploy" into war zones, could conceivably leave the Wasp enroute and make the rest of the journey by air.
The deployment marks a long-sought goal after three-decades of tilt-rotor technology that began with the development and flight of Bell Helicopter’s XV-15 prototype in the 1970s. Fort Worth-based Bell is manufacturing the Osprey with Boeing Helicopters of Ridley Township, Pa.
The aircraft, which flies like an airplane and lands and takes off like a helicopter, reaches speeds and distances well beyond that of traditional helicopters and is considered far more agile than the aging CH-46 "Sea Knight" helicopters that it s replacing.
But the Osprey’s entry into combat will be under intense scrutiny after years of controversy that included delays, steadily rising costs and two fatal crashes in 2000 that nearly led to the program’s cancellation. Critics say the tilt-rotor concept is still unproven and could endanger the lives of its crew members in combat. Supporters say it is ideal for combat and will enable Marines to get into hot spots faster and safer.
The aircraft has provided years of employment at Bell's Tarrant County plants, where about 1,700 employees manufacture major Osprey components at Grand Prairie and Hurst. The aircraft is assembled by up to 800 workers at another Bell plant in Amarillo.
Bell-Boeing spokesman Bob Leder, based in Amarillo, said workers weren't aware that their handiwork was on its way to Iraq until he posted a copy of a Marine Corps Times article about the deployment.
"There was a feeling of great excitement and at the same time we were praying for the safety of all the Marines," Leder said. "It's like 'OK, this is the real thing.' "
Dent said that "just under 100" members of the squadron were deployed along with the aircraft after training for the mission for more than a year. The Thunder Chickens' 28 pilots, including two women, all volunteered and were chosen by a Marine Corps selection board.
The squadron commander is Lt. Col. Paul J. Rock Jr., who has been flying Ospreys since the 1990s. At least a third of the squadron have had previous combat experience in Iraq.
Whoa, I had no idea that they were deployable yet.
“Thunder Chickens”??? Now that’s a moniker the unit should really be proud of!
ping
Yes, I hope loose lips don’t sink this ship.
Shoot'n Scoot
One of these carries a VERY heavy load of troops and their ordnance.
This is going to be very interesting.
Range, speed and flexibilty. Hard rules once defined by the limitations of legacy helicopters. The V-22 offers twice the speed, three times the payload, five times the range, and can fly more than twice as high as older rotorcraft it is destined to replace.
It is the world’s first production tilt rotor combining the vertical performance of a helicopter with the high speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft...
...The V-22 not only rewrites the rules of mobility, it mobilizes the rules of engagement.
Carrries 24 soldiers and their equipment.
/Yes, I know!
The Blackhawks seem to be old and vulnerable, and have been in service for many years.
I hope the V-22 Osprey can build a better track record.
I believe copters and craft such as the Osprey should have a huge airbag cushion which deploys when the rotors fail and the craft starts dropping. The craft would land on a “bag of air” which would have openings to help it deflate when it impacts the ground.
The news I hate worst is when a Blackhawk goes down and we lose 14 gallant soldiers and two pilots. And I hate to give the bad guys that kind of victory.
With these V22’s and the proliferation of UAVs & ground recon robots, the soldiers have a completely new fast-response and standoff capability that was only dreamed of in Viet Nam & Korea.
WOW! I thought the Typhoon had a difficult birth until I read how long and how much money it took to develop these aircraft!
Apparently they are averaging out at $76m each over the entire production run! I hope they are worth it costing two thirds of an F22 Raptor!
Glad to see it’s fitted with British Rolls Royce engines though! :)
Marines, not soldiers.
~53% not 2/3.
“..Carrries 24 soldiers and their equipment.”
Yes, 2 blocks.
Check their current rating, rather than the original specs.
Sure, we deployed them in the Transformers! Didn't watch the movie??
;-)
What was quiet about this deployment was the reporters.
The USMC announced this well in advance.
Held a Pentagon press conference about it with Commadant introducing the Dep Commadant for Aviation to brief it, then they gave the reporters a ride in one of the birds...
Every step of this deployment has had a press release.
The press ignored the story...
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