Posted on 05/07/2015 1:58:27 AM PDT by WhiskeyX
WASHINGTON – The United States plans to sell 17 V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor military transport aircraft, associated equipment, parts and logistical support to Japan for an estimated cost of $3 billion, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Tuesday.
The agency said it delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.
The associated equipment requested by the Japanese government includes 40 engines and 40 infrared radars, according to the agency.
Japan plans to assign 17 Ospreys to the Ground Self-Defense Force by fiscal 2018.
(Excerpt) Read more at japantimes.co.jp ...
isnt the osprey the helicopters that were unstable and falling out of the sky?
hopefully we have this little design bug fixed ? .....at least before we sell these to anyone
We use them Daily. They are new technology but quite versatile as they can fly with the speed of a plane but deploy large amounts of troops and equipment vertically like a chopper. The bugs appear to have been worked out for the most part
I bet these get put on the new Flush Deck Cruiser (Aircraft Carrier) the Japanese launched last year
The Osprey has made several combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan without safety issues.
My understanding is that the Israelis are interested too.
Only if Japanese Flush Deck Cruisers are operated by the Japan Ground Self Defense Force.
V-22 Is The Safest, Most Survivable Rotorcraft The Marines Have
http://lexingtoninstitute.org/v-22-is-the-safest-most-survivable-rotorcraft-the-marines-have/?a=1&c=1171
February 16, 2011
Here’s a surprise: the V-22 Osprey has turned into the safest, most survivable rotorcraft the U.S. Marine Corps operates. The Osprey had its first fatal accident in ten years last April during a combat mission in Afghanistan, when an Air Force version hit the ground at high speed. But because of safety features built into the airframe, 16 of the 20 personnel on board survived. If you think that’s still one crash too many, then you better not look at the safety records of other rotorcraft in theater, because many of them are not faring as well. After 14 operational deployments and 100,000 flight hours, the Osprey is beginning to look like a real life-saver.
That’s not the way the V-22 began its history. Conceived as a versatile aircraft that could combine the land-anywhere agility of a helicopter with the speed (280 miles per hour) and range (375 miles) of a fixed-wing aircraft, the Osprey suffered two serious accidents during its development. Those accidents delayed fielding and left a lasting impression on critics, who to this day allege it is a flawed aircraft. The Marine Corps vigorously disagrees, arguing it is a safer and more flexible way of getting troops from ship to shore than any other means available. A mounting body of evidence from operational deployments indicates the Marines are right. Not only is the V-22 less likely to be hit by ground fire than conventional helicopters (because it flies faster and higher), but when it is hit it suffers less damage and if it crashes occupants are more likely to survive.
Over the last ten years, the V-22 mishap rate has been about half the average for the entire Marine aircraft fleet, and it is currently the lowest of any rotorcraft in that fleet. These averages are adjusted to reflect time actually flown, so it really is a surprisingly safe aircraft, considering it only recently entered service. New airframes usually have higher mishap rates than aircraft that have been operated for many years.
more at link
Bell builds the Osprey and just announced sizeable layoffs. Curious.
They make more than the Osprey. Helicopter sales overall are down.
Textron profit, revenue miss estimates as helicopter sales drop
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/28/us-textron-results-idUSKBN0NJ15320150428
Apr 28, 2015
Textron Inc, maker of Beechcraft and Cessna airplanes and Bell helicopters, reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit as helicopter division sales declined.
Revenue in Textron’s Bell division, which accounted for 31 percent of total revenue in 2014, dropped 13.2 percent to $315 million in the first quarter ended April 4.
As a result of weak market conditions, the company said on Tuesday that it would cut production and take additional steps to cut costs in its Bell division.
Textron shares fell 3.8 percent to $42 in premarket trading.
Sales of military helicopters have been weak for some time due to budget cuts, particularly in the United States, but sales of civilian machines were also soft in the latest quarter.
THANK YOU!
“Critics claim...”
Any idiot can be a critic, whether of Broadway plays, ‘fine’ wines, or aircraft.
ALL machines have some problems during initial deployment. Very complex aircraft, especially rotorcraft, are more ‘newsworthy’ when something breaks. The Press really likes to gloat over military hardware problems.
Thanks for the facts. Excellent report.
Bell has rested on its laurels as far as civilian helicopter development goes. They have coasted for 40 or 50 years by ‘putting tailfins and chrome’ on the basic Vietnam era Huey and the Jet Ranger.
Aerospatiale has been doing far more development work on civilian helos. In response to the AS-350 from Aerospatiale, Bell announced an wider cockpit, flat floor, improved Jet Ranger at the HAI convention in 1982. That aircraft, the 505, is supposed to begin deliveries this year....
Correction:
“The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X will be assembled at a new facility in Lafayette, La. Construction of the 82,300-square-foot production plant began last August, and assembly operations are expected to begin in 2016.”
http://www.verticalmag.com/news/article/Bellprovidesanupdateon505JetRangerXdevelopment
Japan and Okinawa are almost two different countries...
There are plenty of Okinawans who wish they and Japan really were different countries.
Unfortunately, Okinawa is in the middle of a strategically very important access point to the Pacific for both China and Russia.
Okinawa is doomed to be the possession of a great power. If not Japan, then China. If not Japan or China, then Russia.
If such a fate is the case, Japan, for a number of reasons is the better deal.
You seem to know plenty about helicopters but the 407 is certainly not Chrome on the jet ranger or huey. The 407 has done pretty well for Bell. It was so good that they sold a years production in the first 30 days of it’s roll out.
"The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter; a derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger"
Wikipedia
"It is a derivative of the Bell 206L-3 LongRanger."
After they've been converted into giant flying robots, of course.
you should do more research than wiki. Saying it is derivative of Long Ranger is like saying the Ford Explorer is derivative of the F150.
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