credit Photo: U.S. Navy
The first combat squadron of MV-22 Ospreys is now deployed to Iraq after decades of development. Made by Boeing and Bell Helicopter, the Osprey is the most radical new aircraft to enter service for many years. Its tilt-rotor design combines the vertical takeoff and hover ability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional aircraft. The Ospreys belong to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, known as "The Thunder Chickens" and are scheduled to remain in Iraq for at least seven months. But controversy goes with them: Three fatal accidents during testing, questionable maintenance records and a one-time fluke in computer hardware have left critics claiming that the Osprey is fundamentally unsafe.The spiralling cost of the program has also attracted criticism. Each Osprey now costs around $100 million, and that’s after more than $15 billion in development costs. The military claim the bugs have been fixed and the new tilt-rotor is ready for its baptism of fire.
credit Photo: U.S. Navy
Hover Like a Chopper =
description The name "tilt-rotor" is deceptive; in fact it’s not just the rotors but the entire engine assembly on each side (known as "nacelles"), which can rotate more than 90 degrees. With the nacelles in the vertical position, the Osprey can hover like a helicopter. This lets troops abseil down when landing is not possible. 
credit Photo: U.S. Air Force
Fly Like a Plane =
description One of the Osprey’s key advantages over helicopters is its speed. With the rotors in horizontal position, the Osprey cruises at 250 to 300 knots (290 to 350 mph), twice as fast as Marine transport helicopters like the CH-46 Sea Knight. It can carry a full load of troops more than a hundred miles, and with air-to-air refuelling it can fly for more than 2,500 miles. 
credit Photo: U.S. Navy
Vortex Danger =
description The dust kicked up by this Osprey shows the power of the downdraft from the twin propellers. At high rates of descent without adequate forward velocity, a situation called "vortex ring state" occurs in which the Osprey starts sucking up its own downdraft and loses lift, which can cause it to crash. An April 2000 accident involving the downdraft killed 19 men. It has been years since the last fatal incident, and better software, training and flight-operations rules seem to have successfully remedied this problem. 
credit Photo: James Darcy, NAVAIR Public Affairs, via Boeing
Smart Cockpit =
description The Osprey has a modern "glass cockpit," which means the individual displays can be set to show relevant information depending on the situation. Four multi-function displays and one shared central display unit allow the pilots to switch between various maps, infrared imagery and flight instruments, as well as navigation and system information. The autopilot can carry out most tasks, including transition from forward flight to hover, at the push of a button. 
credit Photo: U.S. Air Force
It’s Big … It’s not easy to judge the size of the Osprey when it’s in the air. On the ground its 57-foot length and 39-foot rotors look huge. It can carry 24 troops and up to 20,000 pounds of cargo.
credit Photo: U.S. Navy
… But It Folds Up Small For transport aboard aircraft carriers and Marine assault ships, the Osprey must take up as little room as possible. During storage, the wing rotates parallel with the body of the craft and the rotors fold up, making the Osprey surprisingly compact.
credit Photo: U.S. Air Force
Tilting Ancestor =
description U.S. attempts to develop a hybrid of a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft go back to the XC-142A, which first flew in 1965. It was the product of a combined Army, Navy and Air Force program for a tilt-wing (rather than tilt-rotor) aircraft. But the noise and vibration were severe when flying, and mechanical problems caused a number of damaging "hard landings." The program was canceled in 1966. 
credit Photo: NASA
Groundbreaking Tilt-Rotor =
description The Bell XV-15 was a true tilt-rotor, which first flew in 1977. NASA carried out extensive research with a pair of XV-15s, and exhibited one at the Paris Air Show in 1981. Although the XV-15 was never put into production, it was a major influence on the subsequent development of the Osprey and showed that tilt-rotors were viable. 
credit Photo: US Navy
Assault Ship Ospreys =
description Pictured is the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan underway during trials with eight Ospreys. The Navy wants 48 of these HV-22s, for search-and-rescue operations and other duties. These Ospreys will be equipped with devices to locate downed airmen and a winch and other gear to help recover them. 
credit Photo: U.S. Navy
Load Carrier =
description Some types of cargo are too large or awkward to be carried inside the Osprey, but as an alternative to internal storage it can haul a load of up to 15,000 pounds slung externally. This military Hummer, at around 6,000 pounds, presents no problem. 
credit Photo: U.S. Air Force
Engines =
description The Osprey is powered by two Rolls-Royce AE1107C engines, each delivering over 6,000-shaft horsepower (over 4,500 kilowatts). The transmissions of the two engines are cross-coupled, so that that either can power the rotors if one engine fails. The Osprey can still fly on one engine with reduced performance. 
credit Photo: James Darcy, NAVAIR Public Affairs, via Boeing
Short Takeoff =
description With the engines rotated between horizontal and vertical angles, the Osprey can take off like an aircraft, carrying a heavier load than it could in helicopter mode. This mode allows it can take off with an additional 5,000 pounds of fuel or cargo, even operating from very short airstrips. 
credit Photos: U.S. Air Force
Skydiving =
description The Osprey can also be used as a platform for parachutists. The jumps would most likely be at very low altitude for most military missions, but the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute team make a much higher drop here. 
credit Photo: James Darcy, NAVAIR Public Affairs, via Boeing
Special Forces, Special Osprey =
description This is the Special Forces version of the Osprey, designated CV-22. Its mission requirement in this situation is to fly in at low level, find a small landing zone and get a team of 18 personnel in and out as safely as possible. The CV-22 has advanced sensors allowing it to fly covertly at night and in bad weather. An additional electronic warfare suite includes a radar detector and an infrared jammer with laser deflection for incoming missiles, which helps it identify and avoid or neutralize threats.
