Posted on 09/28/2005 5:45:06 PM PDT by wjersey
WASHINGTON --The Pentagon on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to begin full-rate production of the V-22 Osprey, the hybrid helicopter-airplane that the Marine Corps considers vital to the future of its air fleet.
The Osprey program has been threatened since 23 Marines died in a pair of crashes during testing in 2000.
The go-ahead to start full-scale production was approved by the Defense Acquisition Board.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said before the official announcement that he anticipated that step.
"Full-rate production clears the way for a more efficient and lower-cost delivery of this next-generation military aircraft, and would be great news for our national security, our troops and the employees at Bell Helicopter," he said.
"As the military transforms to adapt to new and changing threats, this next generation of aircraft will be critical in keeping America safe and ensuring that our troops have the very best."
A joint venture of Boeing Co. and Textron Inc.'s Bell Helicopter unit builds the aircraft in Texas and Pennsylvania. Textron is based in Providence, R.I.
A December 2000 Osprey crash in North Carolina, which killed four Marines, was caused by a titanium hydraulic line that ruptured.
A crash earlier that year in Arizona killed 19 Marines and was blamed by investigators on pilot error.
The Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft can land and take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane. Commanders say the Osprey can haul more troops and equipment farther than existing helicopters. It was designed to replace the aging helicopters in the Marine Corps fleet.
Good
According to Bell, the current plans include the delivery of 360 aircraft to the Marines, 50 to the U.S. Air Force and 48 to the Navy. The total program is worth in excess of $19 billion to Bell and Textron through 2018.
Widowmakers. I don't know why this program hasn't been scrapped.
These things don't look like they want to fly...
The advocacy by the Corps of the V-22, more than anything else, supports and reinforces the old prejudice that the Marines aren't dealing from a full deck.
Every pilot recognizes that aircraft as an abortion.
Answer at post # 3.
Because certain powerful congressmen wanted the jobs. It has nothing to do with the aircraft.
I hope I'm wrong, but I don't expect the Osprey to be much better.
Helicopters were first adopted by the military and didn't really become viable commercial aircraft until later.
When this technology become a bit more mature, it will open up new opportunities for commuter airlines.
How does the Osprey deal with shipboard ops, with one engine over the deck and one over water? Doesn't that put one engine in ground effect and one out of ground effect?
There's an old military aviation saying....Don't fly the "A" model of anything.
"This is a fantastic new technology that will benefit the military very much."
If it's so fantastic, why did they have to seriously narrow the flight parameters in order to "fix" the problems?
Don't the Geneva Conventions prohibit shooting RPGs at these?
That crash in AZ happened about a week after I was in the tower cab at the Chandler AZ airport and one of these things flew right through the traffic pattern without talking to anyone. The controllers got on the phone trying to find out who it was and were mad as heck.
About a week later one of them got into "descent with power", a phenomenon that will happen with any rotorcraft that descends too fast. He was about 2x-4x the maximum descent rate. Idiot pilot committed suicide and took 20 or so Marines with him.
I wouldn't doubt it a bit if it was the same bozo that flew through the Chandler airspace.
There wasn't a thing wrong with the aircraft except the stick actuator.
Absolutely. Terrible safety record.
Cheny or someone scrapped it once. This turkey will not fly. Been under development for about 20 years. Billions of dollars down the rat hole.
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