"Marine Corps to Arm Osprey With New Weapons" Topic

Like the painting job…

From here
coolminiornot.com/399643

Amicalement
Armand

"The U.S. Marine Corps is progressing with a new project to arm its MV-22 Osprey aircraft with new weapons such as laser-guided 2.75in rockets, missiles and heavy guns – a move which would expand the tiltrotor's mission set beyond supply, weapons and forces transport to include a wider range of offensive and defensive combat missions, Corps officials said.
"Currently, NSWC (Naval Surface Warfare Center) Dahlgren explored the use of forward firing rockets, missiles, fixed guns, a chin mounted gun, and also looked at the use of a 30MM gun along with gravity drop rockets and guided bombs deployed from the back of the V-22. The study that is being conducted will help define the requirements and ultimately inform a Marine Corps decision with regards to armament of the MV-22B Osprey," Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns told Scout Warrior in a written statement.
Adding weapons to the Opsrey would naturally allow the aircraft to better defend itself should it come under attack from small arms fire, missiles or surface rockets while conducting transport missions; in addition, precision fire will enable the Osprey to support amphibious operations with suppressive or offensive fire as Marines approach enemy territory…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Armand-
If the USMC starts putting Star Vixens on Ospreys, they will certainly put an end to any thought of recruiting problems.

No money for spare parts for F-18's but they're refitting Osprey's?

ZOC--maybe DOD should hire the Bug as a consultant?

Star Vixens are something Tango certainly seems to be "nuts" about:

TMP link

TMP link

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Further proof that we know the F-35 isn't coming along well, and every branch is hedging accordingly. The Corps needs the F-35 b/c H-1s don't have the speed to escort Ospreys. Can't do an air assault mission or land in any sort of hot LZ with no escorts. I'd like to see a tilt-rotor attack helicopter, similar to how we field the Huey/Cobra with significant parts commonality. Would have been a better decision than crippling the USAF /USN fighters by shoe-horning VTOL requirements into the same chassis.

Actually, the USAF's F35A has benefited pretty significantly from the weight-reduction required by the -B model.

It's the -C model that is stuck in last place, performance-wise. Lots heavier and bigger wings means least maneuverable!

What? The Marines too cool for choppers?

Osprey V22s have an operational range of over 1000 miles while Cobras only have a range of ~350 miles.

Ospreys will have to hump their own support.

Actually, the USAF's F35A has benefited pretty significantly from the weight-reduction required by the -B model.

As I understand it, the fuselage would be narrower/lighter if it didn't need to accommodate the – B's vertical lift fan.

What? The Marines too cool for choppers?

II'd actually like to write a paper for the Marine Corps Gazette about the viability of a rotary-wing only Marine Air Wing, especially with some kind of compound helicopter to supplement the AH-1 for range/speed. I think the biggest problem is how it reduces our options for Deep Operations/Interdiction due to the lack of heavier bomb ordnance. I think the gains in time-on-station, sortie generation, platform numbers, and basing (can operate way more helis from our amphibs) more than compensates. I want to pull data from our actual target lists for ops here in the Pacific AO, but I think that stuff is Secret, so I might not be able to back up my research with concrete numbers.

Osprey are too expensive per hour of flight to keep them going. Nice idea but they really need to cut the costs. Maybe the next gen will work better. After all the Air Force has gotten the B-1 to cost less then the B-52 per flight hour now.