Bell Boeing Team Supports V-22 Media Day

Boeing ^ | July 14, 2005

[Righty_McRight]

[Tribune7]

The fuselage is made in Ridley Township

[balrog666]

The V-22 Osprey had a “coming out” of sorts yesterday, when VMX-22, the U.S. Marine Corps Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron in New River, N.C., hosted media from around the nation.

I take it that they all lived through the test program then?

[cynicom]

How many years and billions of dollars have gone in to this turkey?

[Wiz]

Tilt rotor ping!

[ryan71]

The Marines stuck by the Harrier. It didn't have a stellar safety record in the beginning either. It's still a tricky plane to fly, but I think they have it under control.

I hope they can get the V-22 to work. The mission capabilities are perhaps revolutionary compared to their CH-46's and CH-53's.

[balrog666]

I hope they can get the V-22 to work. The mission capabilities are perhaps revolutionary compared to their CH-46's and CH-53's.

A long as they don't have a backup plan and 200 military careers are held in the balance, they better make it work.

[Sonar5]

Great News, being a Former Marine, I'm a big fan of The Osprey. They have corrected the deficiencies that occurred and even removed faulty Tube Designs from an Indicted Company that forged Certification records of their parts.

Now, it can finally move into Full Production replacing the aging fleets of CH-46's and CH-53's. I think it has been almost 5 years since a Crash. Looks like they fixed the hiccups of the New Technologies.

Let's Get it into the Fleet.

Ooh Rah! Marines. Semper Fi!

Regards,
Joe

[A.A. Cunningham]

[SandfleaCSC]

Celebrate the widow maker?

[Conservative Firster]

V-22 Specifications

Powerplant   • Two Allison T406-AD-400 engines   • Max and Intermediate, shp (kW) - 6,150 (4,586)
Rotor System   • Blades per hub - 3   • Construction - graphite/fiberglass   • Tip speed, fps (mps) - 661.90 (201.75)   • Diameter, ft (m) - 38.00 (11.58)   • Blade area, ft2 (m2) - 261.52 (24.30)   • Disc area, ft2, (m2) - 2,268.00 (210.70)   • Blade folding - automatic, powered
Transmissions   • Takeoff [USMC], shp (kW) - 4,570 (3,408)   • Takeoff [USN], shp (kW) - 4,970 (3,706)   • Takeoff [USAF], shp (kW) - 4,970 (3,706)   • 1 engine inoperative, shp (kW)       5,920 (4,415)
Performance   • Max speed, SL, kts (km/h) - 275 (510)   • Vert rate of climb, SL, fpm (m/m)       1,090 (332)   • Max rate of climb, SL, fpm (m/m)       2,320 (707)   • Service ceiling, ft (m) - 26,000 (7,925)   • Service ceiling, one engine inop, ft (m)       11,300 (3,444)   • HOGE, ft (m) - 14,200 (4,328)	Range   • Amphib assault, nm (km) - 515 (954)   • Max, self-deployment, nm (km)       2,100 (3,892) Crew   • Cockpit - crew seats - 2   • Cabin - troop seats/litters - 24/12
Dimensions - Internal   • Length, max, ft (m) - 24.17 (7.37)   • Width, max, ft (m) - 5.92 (1.80)   • Height, max, ft (m) - 6.00 (1.83) Weights   • Empty, lbs (kg) - 33,140 (15,032)   • Takeoff, vertical, max, lbs - 47,500 (21,546)   • Takeoff, short running, max, lbs (kg)       55,000 (24,948)   • Takeoff, self-deploy mission, lbs (kg)       60,500 (27,443)   • Cargo hook, single, lbs (kg)       10,000 (4,536)   • Cargo hook, dual, lbs (kg) - 15,000 (9,221)	Dimensions - External   • Length, fuselage, ft (m) - 57.33 (17.48)   • Width, rotors turning, ft (m) - 83.33 (25.55)   • Length, stowed, ft (m) - 62.58 (19.08)   • Width, stowed, ft (m) - 18.42 (5.61)   • Width, horizontal stabilizer, ft (m) - 18.42 (5.61)   • Height, nacelles fully vertical, ft (m) - 21.76 (6.63)   • Height, vertical stabilizer, ft (m) - 17.65 (5.38) Fuel Capacity   • Sponsons, gals (liters) - 1,228 (4,649)   • Wings, gals (liters) - 787 (2,979)   • Aux, self-deployment, gals (liters) - 2,436 (9,221)

[newzjunkey]

The project started around 1986. Yes, it started during Reagan's second term. Hard to fathom, yes?

These turkeys 'officially' cost $40m a copy but if you break down the 2005 budget numbers it costs in excess of $100m *more* than that. The paint alone costs $7000/gallon.

I cannot begin to guess the total real dollar cost of this program.

Somehow I want to say that Cheney tried to kill this program when he was SoD but I might have that wrong.

[newzjunkey]

I can't wait to have some of these flying overhead here in San Diego. The flight path between MCAS Miramar and Camp Pendleton runs along I-15 and over innumerable neighborhoods. Mine included.

[newzjunkey]

Found some historical info... Cheney *did* try to kill it.

In 1986 the cost of a single V-22 was estimated at $24 million, with 923 aircraft to be built. In 1989 the Bush administration cancelled the project, at which time the unit cost was estimated at $35 million, with 602 aircraft. The V-22 question caused friction between Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney and Congress throughout his tenure. DoD spent some of the money Congress appropriated to develop the aircraft, but congressional sources accused Cheney, who continued to oppose the Osprey, of violating the law by not moving ahead as Congress had directed. Cheney argued that building and testing the prototype Osprey would cost more than the amount appropriated. In the spring of 1992 several congressional supporters of the V-22 threatened to take Cheney to court over the issue. A little later, in the face of suggestions from congressional Republicans that Cheney's opposition to the Osprey was hurting President Bush's reelection campaign, especially in Texas and Pennsylvania where the aircraft would be built, Cheney relented and suggested spending $1.5 billion in fiscal years 1992 and 1993 to develop it. He made clear that he personally still opposed the Osprey and favored a less costly alternative.

[cynicom]

Cheney did indeed want to kill the program but it was resurrected by politicians, not the military.

[cynicom]

You must have gotten a "stiff neck" posing for that shot, you naughty boy you.

[A.A. Cunningham]

You mean Sikorsky's UH-60 Crashhawk?

[A.A. Cunningham]

Cheney tried to kill the V-22, shortly after its maiden flight, based on the advice of an accountant, David Chu. Cheney also killed, successfully, the F-14D thus screwing Naval Air and the American taxpayer in the process. Are you going to tout that asinine decision along with all the other boneheaded moves made by the SECDEF with the fecal touch, as well? How about Harry Trumans' repeated attempts to kill the B-26, which only went on to attain the highest mission completion rate of any Allied bomber in WWII. That exercise in ignorance was immortalized by a Marauder aircrew.

Know anything about that? Probably not.

Here's a hint that you should heed, politicians aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

[Saigon68]

You must have gotten a "stiff neck" posing for that shot, you naughty boy you.

Hey cynicom, did you notice that this "expert" on Marine aviation had no factual argument to your post, just this "artwork?" Verrrrrry interesting.

BTW, it is a turkey. Even the House Armed Services Committee had VERY serious doubts.