kbennett@jarthur.Claremont.edu (11/21/89)
From: kbennett@jarthur.Claremont.edu
I have lived near Moffet Field for most of my life, and remember
seeing this plane years ago when NASA was playing with it. I have also
heard many contradictory facts, my favorite was when a Navy recruiter
told me that it was still being funded, but a few stalls down the army
said it had been cut...
The Osprey is a tilt wing craft with two BIG propellors. This gives
it VTOL ability, plus cruising ability fater than Helos.
It can carry a marine unit far behind from lines. One of the "problems"
with this is that it can deopsit troops beyond artillery support. But then
again, it can carry it's own.
Another objection is that it is too slow and a sitting duck for jets.
But this is true for helos as well, and the osprey can act as an oversized,
rather fast helo if it wants to.
The osprey can also be used for MANY tasks. It is not as fuel guzzling
(or as fast) as a harrier, but it can do ASW with both the capabilities of
a helo and a prop driven plane (like the PC-3 orion). It has a much faster
responce time than a helo in emergencys (it flys a LOT faster, thus getting
there faster).
As for landing... it is a VTOL - that applies to both take off and
landing. SO WHAT if the landing gear is destroyed? It can land straight
down (w/ the rotors straight up). But I am not sure if it will fit on a helo
pad.
I personally love the plane. It can be its own troop carrier, gunship,
ASW, ground supression, rescue vehicle, and more in one plane.
I have no sources on its exact stats, unfortunately, and will not hazard
a guess. And I do hope my bad memory did not make a huge mistake.fiddler@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) (11/22/89)
From: fiddler@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) In article <11603@cbnews.ATT.COM>, kbennett@jarthur.Claremont.edu writes: > > I have lived near Moffet Field for most of my life, and remember > seeing this plane years ago when NASA was playing with it. I have also The tilt-wing flying around Moffet in the not-too-distant past was the proof-of-concept prototype for the type, the XV-15. It's a bit smaller than a V-22. ------------ "...Then anyone who leaves behind him a written manual, and likewise anyone who receives it, in the belief that such writing will be clear and certain, must be exceedingly simple-minded..." Plato, _Phaedrus_ 275d