Illustrious takes the MV-22 Osprey onboard

[Razor61]

By Andrew Chuter - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 10, 2007 19:11:23 EDT

LONDON - A Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey landed Tuesday on the Royal Navy
aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, the first time the vertical-takeoff-and-landing tiltrotor had operated from the deck of a foreign warship, a Royal Navy spokeswoman said.
The touchdown was the first of several expected over the several weeks of a
Joint Task Force Exercise involving U.S. and Britain warships off America's
eastern seaboard. Illustrious, which is leading one of three strike groups
in the exercise, will also host as many as 14 U.S. AV-8B Harrier combat
aircraft, the largest number of foreign aircraft to operate at one time from
an Invincible-class carrier, the spokeswoman said. The ship is also home
base for two squadrons of British Sea Kings.
The spokeswoman said the landing was to enable the British and U.S. navies
improve interoperability.
Industry sources said the landing would also inform the debate in Britain
over the provision of a Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft
for two 65,000-ton carriers expected to be built for the Royal Navy for
operation from the middle of the next decade.
Lockheed Martin is leading AgustaWestland and Thales UK in an assessment of the requirement.
The most likely aircraft is seen as the EH101 Merlin, but other options,
including the V-22, have been considered. The British navy uses a modified
Sea King for airborne surveillance from its Invincible-class carriers.

[cornish-stormrider]

New plane, old ship. won't be able to do this for much longer. New plane, hired rowing boat from billy butlin

[Mr-AEO]

Industry sources said the landing would also inform the debate in Britain over the provision of a Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft for two 65,000-ton carriers expected to be built for the Royal Navy for operation from the middle of the next decade.

Why? The V22 in question was a Marine variant and the deck is nothing like a CVF. What 'informing' exactly was gleaned other than, look, I can land this on a Brit Carrier which is itty bitty and much smaller than my own?

[vecvechookattack]

New Plane.... ???? apart from it conducted its maiden flight 18 years ago.


It may have been a Marine variant and the CVS doesnt look like a CVF apart from:

They are both grey
They are both big
They both have a big flat top.

But if the V22 isn't suitable or doesn't meet the requirement then at least we will have tried...

[West Coast]

"The V22 in question was a Marine variant and the deck is nothing like a CVF"

USMC doesn't operate normally on large deck carriers but rather on smaller
carriers as illustrated in the link below.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/lha-1.htm

Now my question, the article says the Illustrious is home for two squadrons of British Sea Kings. That's it? I haven't opened up any of the numerous threads here about the sea harrier. Perhaps I should, are they all retired now?

[Magic Mushroom]

WC,
The Sea Harriers are now all retired and Royal Navy fixed wing capability now consists of Harrier GR7/9 aircraft shared with the RAF. The Harriers are heavily commited to Afghanistan right now and so rarely go to sea for any lengthy period.
Incidentally, our CVS are somewhat smaller than your LHDs.
Regards,
MM

[The Helpful Stacker]

Will the USMC crews make use of the ski-ramp on Lusty and if so will they be gaining competencey ashore first?

[Double Zero]

Helpful, do I detect a certain amount of tongue in cheek there ?!

Can just imagine a very expensive loud clattering noise, if an Osprey on a ski-jump got angles even slightly wrong..

[Magic Mushroom]

00,

Is that a wah? I assume he's talking about the USMC AV-8B dudes given that they don't have ramps on their LPHs.

[The Helpful Stacker]

Thank you MM, yes I was referring to the fine pieces of British engineering that the continental marines are bringing with them.

[Feneris]

I'm amazed they could fit a V-22 on Lusty, did they land down the aft end??

[Mr-AEO]

It may have been a Marine variant and the CVS doesnt look like a CVF apart from:

They are both grey
They are both big
They both have a big flat top.

But if the V22 isn't suitable or doesn't meet the requirement then at least we will have tried...

So, V22 lands on grey flat thing with RN Flag on rather than US Flag on. That will really inform the MASC capability options review:rolleyes:, sorry but I think this proved nothing other than some lobbying for V22. We all know MASC will look like Merlin, why do we always kid ourselves that we have other options?

[Widger]

Mr AEO, why so negative? This can only be positive news. There is a lot more to this than just plonking an Osprey on the deck. It will be an opportunity, to look at deck limits, wind limits, what sort of recovery/instrument profile it can fly, what stores support it will require, where the lashing points are, how to handle or manouevre one on the deck, shut down, impact on other aircraft, NVG capability/compatability, stores lift capacity. What mission system support it wil require...I could go on....:ok:

[Lazer-Hound]

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003593.html

[WE Branch Fanatic]

West Coast

Yes, the Sea Harrier has now retired (as discussed at length here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=98152)). We therefore have no dedicated carrier aircraft, and a humber of carrier capable aircraft that permits only part time carrier operations - and at the same time we're trying to up the tempo in preparation for the new carriers.

So yes, we should be grateful to the USMC guys for helping keep up the skills of our flight deck crews.

[Magic Mushroom]

Oh bloody hell, here we go again...:zzz:

[vecvechookattack]

Gawds struth.....'Eaven help us


The Sea Harrier hasn't "retired"


It was sacked as it was a crock of poo.

[High_lander]

Did you read one of the comments on that page?



Actually the UK is presently assessing the MV-22 Osprey for use with 16 Air Assault Brigade, Special Forces, Royal Marines and as a potential aircraft for the 2 new 65,000+ tonne aircraft carriers.
Posted by: Wren at July 11, 2007 02:05 PM



:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

[Mr-AEO]

why so negative?

You are right, I am tainted by cynicism.:} I was thinking more of Capability demo, rather than the data/info you have raised. I stand corrected.

[Lazer-Hound]

Does anyone know when the MH53M Special Operations Squadron at Mildenhall is due to convert to the CV22?

[MEON VALLEY FLYER]

Does anyone know when the MH53M Special Operations Squadron at Mildenhall is due to convert to the CV22?

Could be a: when every one has finished writing their wills or b: then the recruitment office has changed all members to dwarfs as only they can operate within the space constraints

[buoy15]

Load of bollocks and RN/MOD spin
This is to justify a multimillion £'s refit and allow the RN to continue flitting around the world, showing the flag, and hosting cocktail parties
This ship should have been 'worked up' and sent to war
Why the need for an 'exercise' to 'demonstrate' potential co-operation in 'joint operations' with an ac that has a bad history of crashes and fatalities, even on land
Next will be the need to combat the effects of terrorism, drug running, bi-lateral agreements-shared interests blah blah, when this supposed "1st Rate Ship of the Line" should be where it's needed, in the Gulf, not fannying about off the eastern seaboard of the US
How about a £350m refit for the ex Royal Yacht to be a 'hospital ship':p, which could also take an Osprey on the cocktail deck to deliver and evacuate the drunks to and from the party?

[US Herk]

Does anyone know when the MH53M Special Operations Squadron at Mildenhall is due to convert to the CV22? My guess is that there will be a significant gap. Pave Low is scheduled to depart this year & Osprey won't be available yet...First operational AFSOC CV-22 squadron is 8 SOS (formerly MC-130E) at Hurlburt Field - not sure how many Osprey they have at present, but it's just a handful. OCU at Kirtland, 71 SOS, has four or so I believe.

[Widger]

Buoy15,

You are so very way off the mark, for a number of reasons. If you are serving, then ask someone to correct you woefully inadeqaute awareness of current CVS ops and the reasons behind these decisions.

Round the buoy again!

[Not_a_boffin]

widger - he's probably L**** P***.

[Mmmmnice]

Why all the debate? Surely it's a case of 'if it's passing let's try the deck'? Leave it 'til later and then you fall into the old 'can't do it if it's not been done before' trap. I am surprised that Boscombe didn't try to muscle in some how - or did they?

[Phil_R]

I know very little about VTOL aircraft and this is presented in the spirit of genuine enquiry, not irony.

OK, it's a ship, but the USMC should be used to that. Other than the fact that it is a ship and it may be moving (and presumably is during flight operations to minimise rolling around), is there anything particularly special about landing on one particular piece of floating real-estate, as opposed to another?

Why is this clever? I would have presumed that this sort of thing would be done as a matter of course, whenever the need to do so arose.

I appreciate that there may be a difference between "what we are allowed to do" and "what is possible to do" and this may be one of those instances.

Phil

[XV277]

I suppose the benefit is that some in the RN now know what one looks like (rather than 'That Chinook looks a bit buggered'). :)

[Wader2]

Phil, probably because it's bl:mad:dy small that's why.

Also gotto be real gentle too to avoid more dents in the flight deck.

[Lazer-Hound]

http://royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.9793