Welcome to the New Age; Bell Boeing's V-22 Osprey.
When I set out to do this I didn't think I would get the opportunity to do a walkaround of the V-22 Osprey, but it arose during this year's Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, where a USAF CV-22B Special Forces variant became available for closer inspection. Having watched a flying display by the type I was keen to get a closer look and unfortunately it didn't look like people were being allowed inside, so I threw caution to the wind and asked for access. Most kindly, the Tech Sgt said yes! The fuselage is composite; light and strong and the cockpit is a exemplar of design simplicity. One controller for power output and rotor pitch, with a roatting wheel on it to be actioned with the pilot's thumb for nacelle rotation. The entire workings being goverend by a sophisticated electronic engine management system. Very neat. Great visibility form the office, too.
Born from the failure of the Iranian hostage rescue mission debacle that was Eagle Claw, and first flying on 19 March 1989, the V-22 was an ambitious requirement suffering technical issues that still linger in a less than positive reputation for the type, but it has been in service with the US Marines since 2005 and has been gradually upgraded with improvements to increase its reliability and cost effectiveness - this resulting in major redesign in the early 1990s following trials of the first prototypes. Dogging its career are accidents of the type; to date, nine airframes have been lost with 39 fatalities. Since becoming operational in 2007, five have been lost in service hands. Despite these incidents, the V-22 is currently in service in increasing numbers with the Marines as the MV-22B, the USAF as the CV-22B and US Navy as the CMV-22B in the carrier on-board-delivery role.
The Osprey has seen action in numerous global events, including Iraq, where the type was praised owing to its versatility and swift turnaround times compared to existing rotorcraft. V-22s have seen deployments in Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen. Whilst in the Sudan, US Forces CV-22s came under small arms fire, with a number of aircraft suffering damage as a result. Armoured floors have been retrofitted to counter this threat. Despite its less than safe reputation, enormous cost and continuous upgrades and improvements, the Osprey represents a leap in capability and is an arrow to the future. It also looks fantastic in a flying display. Welcome to the New Age. Click on the image to go to the V-22 walkaround page.
