Washington. The world's first new technology aircraft that can land and takeoff like a helicopter will taste blood in real battle conditions from the next month.
Informed sources here indicate that an unknown number of the tiltrotor V22 Ospreys, being manufactured by Boeing and Bell Helicopter, were already on their way into Iraq for offensive combat assault and combat support operations.
Named Osprey after the white, fish-eating hawk found everywhere, two to ten helicopters will be operational in Iraq within the next few weeks with the US Marine Corps, particularly to seek and destroy insurgent targets. Contingents of Marines have been practicing touch-and-go landings from assault ships as well as the desert in Arizona for about an year.
Boeing officials told a group of Defence Analysts invited recently from India that the Osprey had done nearly 30000 hours of flight tests and that it was indeed battle ready now should the US government decide to send them.
It was described as a multi-mission, vertical lift, twin-rotor - or propellers - transport aircraft that can cruise at 640 km/hour at a comfortable height of 25000 feet, and then, by tilting its rotors, land and rise vertically in a battlefield at much higher speeds than the conventional helicopters.
This writer, in the invited group on behalf of India Strategic, was told by sources that some of the aircraft possibly were already in the Gulf at some location in the countdown towards deployment.
Sources pointed out that most of the equipment being used in Iraq and Afghanistan by the US forces was procured 20 years ago when Mr. Ronald Reagan was the President. Today, due to the terrorists' run away tactics, the emphasis was on new technology machines from helicopters to rough terrain vehicles, robots and sensors to engage them in precision and speedy attacks.
Notably, US and NATO troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are asking for more and more helicopters and there is already a demand on the US and European aviation majors to speed up the production of required machines.
Boeing gave the Indian Analysts a tour of its Philadelphia production facility where parts of the Osprey, and most of the Chinook helicopters are manufactured. Both these helicopters have ultra-modern fly-by-wire glass cockpits with electronic displays to assist the pilots, and both these machines were declared to be on "Full Rate Production."
Boeing officials clarified that while they had nothing to do with the operational deployment, they were constantly improving the machines and their systems to give the best possible support to the war fighters, both in terms or equipment and weapons.
Osprey is described as six to seven times more survivable than conventional helicopters, thanks to its anti-armour coating, low radar signatures, and the speed to reach and get away.
The Bell-Boeing combination is to produce 360 MV 22 Ospreys for the elite Marines, 50 CV 22s for Air Force Special Operations Command, and 48 MV 22s for the Navy for personal recovery, special warfare and fleet logistics support.
Boeing makes the fuselage, subsystems, fly-by-wire controls and other advanced digital avionics while Bell Helicopter Textron produces the rotors, wings, transmission systems and installs the engines.
Powered by Rolls Royce Liberty engines, the Osprey has a mission radius of 796 km, and can carry 24 fully equipped troops. It can also carry also large amounts of cargo and nearly 4000 kg of under slung equipment. It can be refueled midair to increase its range. There is considerable interest in this new technology worldwide, including in India, although it is too early to say if will buy the Ospreys. But at the Farnborough air show in July 2006, several Indian Army and Air Force officials as well as Minister of State for Defence Production Pallam Raju did have a courtesy ride on the Osprey.
If and when this helicopter-Osprey is registered thus and not as an aircraft is available for exports, Boeing will be able to sell it only if the US State and Defence Departments clear its sale. |
