What's the latest news of the V22 Osprey?
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For Those Who Thought the CV-22 Was Not Yet Operational...
Special Ops activities are not normally reported, even those in conjunction with foreign forces. This apparently took place a few months ago, and note the reference to 'other missions.' As US and foreign troop involvement in Iraq decreases, CV-22 and other Spec Ops activities are apparently on the increase (these are the type of things that mckpave and others cannot talk about without official authorization for release):
Iraqi Special Forces get Osprey support | United States Forces - Iraq
Iraqi Special Forces get Osprey support
Saturday, September 12, 2009 07:17
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jimmy Pan
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula
BAGHDAD — The CV-22 Osprey, the world's first tilt-rotor aircraft, supported Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) during a recent early-morning mission in the Iraqi capital.
The Osprey performed its first mission in support of an operation to apprehend suspected terrorists. Although the new aircraft was flown by U.S. Air Force personnel, the troops and mission were led by the elite ISOF Soldiers.
"Initially, I think that they [ISOF Soldiers] were a little leery of the new aircraft," the Air Force pilot who flew the Osprey during the mission said. "But after using it for the mission, I think we have made the ISOF Soldiers believers in the Osprey."
For take-off and landing, the Osprey operates as a helicopter. However, during flight, it operates as a turboprop airplane. The advanced aircraft, named after a bird of prey also known as the Sea Hawk, can transport 24 Soldiers, 20 thousand pounds of internal cargo or 15 thousand pounds of external cargo. These capabilities provide ISOF and U.S. Special Operations Forces with a fast yet versatile infiltration platform.
The mission partnered with the Iraqi troops was a resounding success.
"The ISOF was positioned at the exact drop-off point they have coordinated [and] they were able to quickly prosecute their target," the Air Force pilot said.
The elite Iraqi team successfully detained two individuals and seized a large weapons cache during the mission.
As U.S. forces have withdrawn from major Iraqi cities, ISOF Soldiers have taken the lead in the fight against terrorists. U.S. forces continue to train and support their colleagues in the ISOF as outlined in the U.S./Iraq Security Agreement that went into effect, Jan. 1. The addition of the Osprey provides Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula and its partners with another capability to defend the people of Iraq from terrorist groups.
"All of the missions I have flown since arriving in theater are very important, with all the missions assisting in stabilizing Iraq and helping solidify the sovereignty of the Iraqi government," the Air Force pilot concluded.
The ISOF Soldiers were proud of the successful mission and grateful to the Osprey crew for their assistance. They especially appreciated the ride up, the hover down and the flight home.
Iraqi Special Forces get Osprey support | United States Forces - Iraq
Iraqi Special Forces get Osprey support
Saturday, September 12, 2009 07:17
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jimmy Pan
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula
BAGHDAD — The CV-22 Osprey, the world's first tilt-rotor aircraft, supported Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) during a recent early-morning mission in the Iraqi capital.
The Osprey performed its first mission in support of an operation to apprehend suspected terrorists. Although the new aircraft was flown by U.S. Air Force personnel, the troops and mission were led by the elite ISOF Soldiers.
"Initially, I think that they [ISOF Soldiers] were a little leery of the new aircraft," the Air Force pilot who flew the Osprey during the mission said. "But after using it for the mission, I think we have made the ISOF Soldiers believers in the Osprey."
For take-off and landing, the Osprey operates as a helicopter. However, during flight, it operates as a turboprop airplane. The advanced aircraft, named after a bird of prey also known as the Sea Hawk, can transport 24 Soldiers, 20 thousand pounds of internal cargo or 15 thousand pounds of external cargo. These capabilities provide ISOF and U.S. Special Operations Forces with a fast yet versatile infiltration platform.
The mission partnered with the Iraqi troops was a resounding success.
"The ISOF was positioned at the exact drop-off point they have coordinated [and] they were able to quickly prosecute their target," the Air Force pilot said.
The elite Iraqi team successfully detained two individuals and seized a large weapons cache during the mission.
As U.S. forces have withdrawn from major Iraqi cities, ISOF Soldiers have taken the lead in the fight against terrorists. U.S. forces continue to train and support their colleagues in the ISOF as outlined in the U.S./Iraq Security Agreement that went into effect, Jan. 1. The addition of the Osprey provides Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula and its partners with another capability to defend the people of Iraq from terrorist groups.
"All of the missions I have flown since arriving in theater are very important, with all the missions assisting in stabilizing Iraq and helping solidify the sovereignty of the Iraqi government," the Air Force pilot concluded.
The ISOF Soldiers were proud of the successful mission and grateful to the Osprey crew for their assistance. They especially appreciated the ride up, the hover down and the flight home.
Last edited by 21stCen; 26th Jan 2010 at 15:20.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Navy Petty Officer who is the "journalist" may not have any experience in aviation, and possibly not much in writing articles (it could be an assigned 'additional duty').
The advantage of the Tiltrotor is to be able to move in faster and quieter than any other aircraft in theater is capable of, and if necessary, get out quicker!
The advantage of the Tiltrotor is to be able to move in faster and quieter than any other aircraft in theater is capable of, and if necessary, get out quicker!
Last edited by 21stCen; 27th Jan 2010 at 16:57.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Somebody previously questioned approach speeds of V-22s in the transition for landing that Sasless had described. Here is a normal base recovery approach taped by a by-stander of a CV-22 outside the AFB (not a 'high-speed' penetration approach, just a normal approach).
There was a big complaint being voiced by the audience at the first Farnborough demo of the MV-22. People in the audience felt that 'even though it was very fast and did things they had never seen before,' it was not as impressive as the jets and helicopter demos in one important area: the biggest complaint was that compared to the load roar of the other impressive jets and helos, 'you could almost not even hear the V-22 until it was right in front of you.'
There was a big complaint being voiced by the audience at the first Farnborough demo of the MV-22. People in the audience felt that 'even though it was very fast and did things they had never seen before,' it was not as impressive as the jets and helicopter demos in one important area: the biggest complaint was that compared to the load roar of the other impressive jets and helos, 'you could almost not even hear the V-22 until it was right in front of you.'
Last edited by 21stCen; 1st Feb 2010 at 16:30.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
V-22 One Of The Highest Priorities for Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mullen Details What 2011 Budget Request Will Fund
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not speak about money today during his testimony on the fiscal 2011 defense budget request before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but rather what that money will do.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responds to questions during testimony with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, center, before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, Feb. 2, 2010. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said the money “is required to win the wars we fight. And the one that needs fighting the most right now is in Afghanistan.”
The area along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan is the epicenter of global terrorism, Mullen said. And the new strategy for the region, he said, makes the safety of the Afghan people the center of gravity and the defeat of al-Qaida a primary goal.
The department is asking for $30 billion for overseas contingency operations and $159 billion for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in fiscal 2011.
“We have already moved nearly 4,500 troops to Afghanistan and expect that about 18,000 of the president’s December 1st commitment will be there by late spring,” Mullen told the committee. “The remainder of the 30,000 will arrive as rapidly as possible over the summer and early fall, making a major contribution to reversing Taliban momentum in 2010.”
If plans hold, by summer there will be more American forces in Afghanistan than in Iraq. “Right now, the Taliban believe they’re winning,” Mullen said. “Eighteen months from now, if we’ve executed our strategy, we’ll know that they won’t – and they’ll know that they can’t.”
Getting to that point will mean hard work, discipline, more sacrifice and bloodshed, the chairman said.
“It’s why we want a 6 percent increase for Special Operations Command,” he said. “And it’s why we need your support to develop and field a next-generation ground combat vehicle to allow us to grow two more Army combat aviation brigades, and to continue rotary wing production – including $2.7 billion dollars for the V-22 Osprey program.”
The wars, the chairman said, are why the department is asking for more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. It’s why the department is asking for more unmanned aerial vehicles – including maxing production of the Reaper version of the Predator UAV.
“Our future security is greatly imperiled if we do not win the wars we are in,” Mullen said. “The outcome of today’s conflicts will shape the global security environment for decades to come.”
Mullen said he is comfortable that U.S. forces can and will “finish well” in Iraq. American forces will transition to an advisory and assistance role in August and be out of the country by the end of 2011.
Meanwhile, Congress needs to continue support for Afghanistan, the chairman said, adding that operations in Afghanistan are not simply a mission of mercy.
“This is the place from which we were attacked in 2001, the place from which al-Qaida still plots and plans,” Mullen said. “The security of a great nation – ours and theirs – rests not on sentiment or good intentions, but on what ought to be a cold and unfeeling appraisal of self-interest and an equally cold and unfeeling pursuit of the tools to protect that interest – ours and theirs.”
Biographies:
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not speak about money today during his testimony on the fiscal 2011 defense budget request before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but rather what that money will do.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responds to questions during testimony with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, center, before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, Feb. 2, 2010. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said the money “is required to win the wars we fight. And the one that needs fighting the most right now is in Afghanistan.”
The area along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan is the epicenter of global terrorism, Mullen said. And the new strategy for the region, he said, makes the safety of the Afghan people the center of gravity and the defeat of al-Qaida a primary goal.
The department is asking for $30 billion for overseas contingency operations and $159 billion for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in fiscal 2011.
“We have already moved nearly 4,500 troops to Afghanistan and expect that about 18,000 of the president’s December 1st commitment will be there by late spring,” Mullen told the committee. “The remainder of the 30,000 will arrive as rapidly as possible over the summer and early fall, making a major contribution to reversing Taliban momentum in 2010.”
If plans hold, by summer there will be more American forces in Afghanistan than in Iraq. “Right now, the Taliban believe they’re winning,” Mullen said. “Eighteen months from now, if we’ve executed our strategy, we’ll know that they won’t – and they’ll know that they can’t.”
Getting to that point will mean hard work, discipline, more sacrifice and bloodshed, the chairman said.
“It’s why we want a 6 percent increase for Special Operations Command,” he said. “And it’s why we need your support to develop and field a next-generation ground combat vehicle to allow us to grow two more Army combat aviation brigades, and to continue rotary wing production – including $2.7 billion dollars for the V-22 Osprey program.”
The wars, the chairman said, are why the department is asking for more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. It’s why the department is asking for more unmanned aerial vehicles – including maxing production of the Reaper version of the Predator UAV.
“Our future security is greatly imperiled if we do not win the wars we are in,” Mullen said. “The outcome of today’s conflicts will shape the global security environment for decades to come.”
Mullen said he is comfortable that U.S. forces can and will “finish well” in Iraq. American forces will transition to an advisory and assistance role in August and be out of the country by the end of 2011.
Meanwhile, Congress needs to continue support for Afghanistan, the chairman said, adding that operations in Afghanistan are not simply a mission of mercy.
“This is the place from which we were attacked in 2001, the place from which al-Qaida still plots and plans,” Mullen said. “The security of a great nation – ours and theirs – rests not on sentiment or good intentions, but on what ought to be a cold and unfeeling appraisal of self-interest and an equally cold and unfeeling pursuit of the tools to protect that interest – ours and theirs.”
Biographies:
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
Defense.gov News Article: Mullen Details What 2011 Budget Request Will Fund
Last edited by 21stCen; 3rd Feb 2010 at 18:16.
You just cannot make this stuff up!
The USMC purhased 147 of these ITV's....purpose built to fit into the Osprey. (Only Pushbikes, Mopeds, or ATV's could fit otherwise!)
Future plans are for a total purchase of 647 of the things!!!
Anyone remember the Mini-mite....the $5000 Helicopter portable "Jeep" the USMC had during Vietnam days that proved to be useless!
The ITV comes in two versions. One is a Light Attack Vehicle configuration that the Marines are buying, jointly with Special Operations Command, for its reconnaissance and special operations units. The second is designed to haul around a 120mm rifled mortar and accompanying ammunition to provide rapid on-call fire support to Marine rifle companies. The ITV and mortar combination pack up small enough to fit inside the Osprey.
The Marines say the ITV in its different variants figures into its “distributed operations” war fighting concept where small, highly mobile, yet hard-hitting, units operate independently over large areas. But the small jeeps don’t come cheap, they cost around $273,000 a copy. That’s a lot of money for a modern version of the “Rat Patrol” Willy’s Jeep.
The Marines say the ITV in its different variants figures into its “distributed operations” war fighting concept where small, highly mobile, yet hard-hitting, units operate independently over large areas. But the small jeeps don’t come cheap, they cost around $273,000 a copy. That’s a lot of money for a modern version of the “Rat Patrol” Willy’s Jeep.
Anyone remember the Mini-mite....the $5000 Helicopter portable "Jeep" the USMC had during Vietnam days that proved to be useless!
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Poland
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well the Marines are always forced to look for the smaller and more compact vehicles. The HMMWV would not fit into H-53, so they used the MUTT, and later bought the IFAV (Mercedes G-class). Now the IFAV is to big to fit into the Osprey, so they're buying the ITV.
Give it few more decades and there will be only room for an ATV
Give it few more decades and there will be only room for an ATV
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The vehicle in use when the H-53 was designed was the goood old M-151 Jeep. It could and did fit nicely, but we had to be careful of CG. The Marine general in charge of specs for the V-22 was noted for disregarding the humvee because they already couldn't carry it in their current helicopters and they could design their new vehicle around the new aircraft instead of the aircraft around the vehicle.
Noted today in the newspaper the US Army has decided to not buy any more humvees and is looking towards their next vehicle too. I personally think they would be better off with a wider wheel base and wider cabin, but the V-22 is what it is.
Noted today in the newspaper the US Army has decided to not buy any more humvees and is looking towards their next vehicle too. I personally think they would be better off with a wider wheel base and wider cabin, but the V-22 is what it is.
What news of the Osprey in Afghanistan? Major operation underway with a reported 60 helicopters supporting the fight....and taking some hostile fire when doing assault landings. Lots of photos of CH-53's, Chinooks, and UH-60's and UH-1N's. Saw no Phrogs or Osprey so far.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ospreys Under Fire In Afghanistan
Welcome to the club...
Marines in Afghan Assault Grapple With Civilian Deaths - NYTimes.com
...Within hours, a Marine Corps Osprey, a transport aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, put down nearby, taking enemy fire as it came in, and the Marines grimly loaded the bodies aboard for the trip to the cemetery.
Top Taliban commander captured in Pakistan - CTV News
...U.S. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers were moving methodically through the town of Marjah, 610 kilometres southwest of Kabul, Wednesday, conducting house-to-house searches, removing bombs and booby-traps as they moved through town.
Marine spokesmen say Taliban resistance in the town seemed to be growing more disorganized and poorly co-ordinated.
Nevertheless, Taliban have not given up. Insurgent snipers hiding in haystacks in poppy fields exchanged fire with Marines and Afghan troops as they swept south.
Insurgents tried but failed to shoot down an Osprey aircraft with rocket-propelled grenades as Cobra attack helicopters fired missiles at Taliban positions, including a machine-gun bunker.
A Taliban spokesman told The Associated Press however that insurgents retain control of the town and that coalition forces who "descended from helicopters in limited areas of Marjah" were now "under siege." ...
Marines in Afghan Assault Grapple With Civilian Deaths - NYTimes.com
...Within hours, a Marine Corps Osprey, a transport aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, put down nearby, taking enemy fire as it came in, and the Marines grimly loaded the bodies aboard for the trip to the cemetery.
Top Taliban commander captured in Pakistan - CTV News
...U.S. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers were moving methodically through the town of Marjah, 610 kilometres southwest of Kabul, Wednesday, conducting house-to-house searches, removing bombs and booby-traps as they moved through town.
Marine spokesmen say Taliban resistance in the town seemed to be growing more disorganized and poorly co-ordinated.
Nevertheless, Taliban have not given up. Insurgent snipers hiding in haystacks in poppy fields exchanged fire with Marines and Afghan troops as they swept south.
Insurgents tried but failed to shoot down an Osprey aircraft with rocket-propelled grenades as Cobra attack helicopters fired missiles at Taliban positions, including a machine-gun bunker.
A Taliban spokesman told The Associated Press however that insurgents retain control of the town and that coalition forces who "descended from helicopters in limited areas of Marjah" were now "under siege." ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Western MA
Posts: 455
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
USMC flies with Army to battle.
Army Aviation Plays Key ‘Moshtarak’ Role
By Army Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute
Special to American Forces Press Service
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2010 – When Operation Moshtarak kicked off here Feb. 13, Army helicopter crews from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade inserted nearly 300 Marines and Afghan security forces into Marja, Afghanistan, under cover of darkness.
a.jpg)
Marines carry their gear out to Army helicopters prior to an air assault into Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2010. UH-60 Black Hawk CH-47F Chinook helicopters inserted nearly 300 Marines into the objective area. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47F Chinooks and AH-64 Apaches from Task Force Pegasus facilitated the air assault of Kilo Company, 3/6 Marines, in seizing their objective area.
“Protected by Apache air weapons teams, the Marines and their partnered Afghan security forces quickly began moving to their initial objective, seizing key terrain and preparing to link up with their parent headquarters scheduled to begin a ground assault into Marja,” said Army Col. Paul Bricker, 82nd CAB commander.
Shortly after the Marine insertion, additional Task Force Pegasus aviation assets assisted a coalition air assault into nearby objective areas in Nad Ali. Task Force Pegasus’s 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment -- Task Force Wolfpack -- was one of three helicopter units involved in the operation in support of the British Task Force Jaguar.
“Their air assault was equally effective in seizing key terrain in the city of Nad Ali, located adjacent and northeast of Marja,” Bricker said. “Their operation was even more complex, as it included over 20 rotary-wing aircraft from the U.S., Britain and Canada.”
Task Force Pegasus continues to provide support to operation Moshtarak, but the focus has turned from aerial security to medical evacuation. Casualty evacuation teams are standing by to transport wounded coalition and Afghan forces to appropriate field hospitals as necessary.
“[The CH-47F Chinook] has been specially configured with helicopter cabin litter support systems and manned with TF Pegasus surgeons and medics to conduct critical patient transfers from less-capable combat surgical wards within Helmand province to southern Afghanistan’s largest and most advanced hospital on Kandahar Air Base,” Bricker said.
The 82nd CAB has completed more than 120 air-assault operations throughout southern Afghanistan over the last 10 months in support of operations by the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces.
(Army Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade serves in the Task Force Pegasus public affairs office.)
By Army Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute
Special to American Forces Press Service
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2010 – When Operation Moshtarak kicked off here Feb. 13, Army helicopter crews from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade inserted nearly 300 Marines and Afghan security forces into Marja, Afghanistan, under cover of darkness.
a.jpg)
Marines carry their gear out to Army helicopters prior to an air assault into Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2010. UH-60 Black Hawk CH-47F Chinook helicopters inserted nearly 300 Marines into the objective area. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47F Chinooks and AH-64 Apaches from Task Force Pegasus facilitated the air assault of Kilo Company, 3/6 Marines, in seizing their objective area.
“Protected by Apache air weapons teams, the Marines and their partnered Afghan security forces quickly began moving to their initial objective, seizing key terrain and preparing to link up with their parent headquarters scheduled to begin a ground assault into Marja,” said Army Col. Paul Bricker, 82nd CAB commander.
Shortly after the Marine insertion, additional Task Force Pegasus aviation assets assisted a coalition air assault into nearby objective areas in Nad Ali. Task Force Pegasus’s 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment -- Task Force Wolfpack -- was one of three helicopter units involved in the operation in support of the British Task Force Jaguar.
“Their air assault was equally effective in seizing key terrain in the city of Nad Ali, located adjacent and northeast of Marja,” Bricker said. “Their operation was even more complex, as it included over 20 rotary-wing aircraft from the U.S., Britain and Canada.”
Task Force Pegasus continues to provide support to operation Moshtarak, but the focus has turned from aerial security to medical evacuation. Casualty evacuation teams are standing by to transport wounded coalition and Afghan forces to appropriate field hospitals as necessary.
“[The CH-47F Chinook] has been specially configured with helicopter cabin litter support systems and manned with TF Pegasus surgeons and medics to conduct critical patient transfers from less-capable combat surgical wards within Helmand province to southern Afghanistan’s largest and most advanced hospital on Kandahar Air Base,” Bricker said.
The 82nd CAB has completed more than 120 air-assault operations throughout southern Afghanistan over the last 10 months in support of operations by the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces.
(Army Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade serves in the Task Force Pegasus public affairs office.)
Same side? Sounded to me like the Osprey did not go "down town"....just the Army Blackhawks and Chinooks escorted by Apaches.
Aren't Chinooks and Osprey's about the same size overall? One is as wide as the other is long perhaps?
Aren't Chinooks and Osprey's about the same size overall? One is as wide as the other is long perhaps?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Given that the video already posted shows an Osprey supporting ops in Marjeh and the flight is maybe 15 minutes from Leatherneck in a Blackhawk and knowing how nasty that place is, I imagine the size of the operation dictates additional support for logistical reasons.
Jeebus, that's a run-on sentence.
Jeebus, that's a run-on sentence.
7.5 minutes in the Osprey....they could have come and gone before they left almost...wasn't this the latest advantage that was talked about a few pages ago?
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Busdriver02,
You make a good point, but don't worry about Dan not understanding the size/scale of the operation. He is understandably proud of the Army moving 300 troops including Marine Corps and others into the zone, but perhaps didn't remember that there were another 14,700 members of the 15,000 contingent force who were also being transported into the area by other means. Working together is the key...
Sas,
The Ospreys are not mobilizing troops from Camp Leatherneck (although it is a maintenance base for them). Busdriver02 was using the BlackHawk flight time from Leatherneck to Marjah to educate those of us not operating in the region so we could understand that the Leatherneck/Marjah area is all in close proximity and is all inclusively a 'nasty place' as far as potential risk from the Taliban. The MV-22s operate to/from many locations including a series of FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) that they have been training at since their first arrival (see below).
A Marine Corps Osprey lands amid a giant cloud of dust at FOB Hassanabad as it does "touch and go's" at various bases in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. The hybrid aircraft, which can land like a helicopter, but fly as a fixed wing aircraft.
You make a good point, but don't worry about Dan not understanding the size/scale of the operation. He is understandably proud of the Army moving 300 troops including Marine Corps and others into the zone, but perhaps didn't remember that there were another 14,700 members of the 15,000 contingent force who were also being transported into the area by other means. Working together is the key...
Sas,
7.5 minutes in the Osprey....they could have come and gone before they left almost...
A Marine Corps Osprey lands amid a giant cloud of dust at FOB Hassanabad as it does "touch and go's" at various bases in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. The hybrid aircraft, which can land like a helicopter, but fly as a fixed wing aircraft.
Last edited by 21stCen; 19th Feb 2010 at 09:36.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UAE
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Osprey Used in Marine Force Recon Raid
February 19, 2010|Christian Lowe
I just got back from a briefing at the Pentagon with Col. Kevin Vest, who is the commander of Marine aviation over in Afghanistan and Lt. Gen. George Trautman, the deputy commandant for aviation. We posted a story this morning on Military.com about a commando raid early this AM conducted by Marine Force Reconnaissance troops and Afghan commandos near Marjah. I have a few more details to reveal from my conversation with Gen. Trautman and Col. Vest on that mission.
First of all, this marks one of the first operational uses of the MV-22 Osprey during the Marjah campaign. Vest said he'd held the Ospreys back as a QRF in case the Taliban tried to make trouble in far off spots of the AO while 4,000 Marines were committed to Marjah. The only other high profile time the Osprey had been used during the operation -- which is in day four -- was to extract civilians bodies killed in an errant HIMARS strike from the town during a daylight mission. That's the one where an Osprey came under fire from RPGs and small arms.
For the raid this morning, which took place at 0200 Afghan time, a group of 120 Force Recon and Afghan National Army troops were inserted by three MV-22s in two waves into an "enemy controlled area" to serve as a blocking force for 3/6. The ACE for that raid included Harriers, Hueys and Cobras and a variety of UAVs and C2 platforms to count bad guy heads and keep them down.
The ACE in Afghanistan has a compliment of 10 Ospreys, but will soon receive two more from the squadron attached to the 24th MEU which helped out in Haiti. Those MV-22s will fly from the Red Sea when the MEU moves out of the Suez all the way to Afghanistan making one refueling stop, Trautman said.
Also, Kit Up has learned that three of the Ospreys in theater have the BEA Systems Remote Guardian underbelly gun system, with two more yet to be installed. Trautman said the Corps had received $30 million to buy more. Vest added that the gun hasn't yet been fired in anger.
February 19, 2010|Christian Lowe
I just got back from a briefing at the Pentagon with Col. Kevin Vest, who is the commander of Marine aviation over in Afghanistan and Lt. Gen. George Trautman, the deputy commandant for aviation. We posted a story this morning on Military.com about a commando raid early this AM conducted by Marine Force Reconnaissance troops and Afghan commandos near Marjah. I have a few more details to reveal from my conversation with Gen. Trautman and Col. Vest on that mission.
First of all, this marks one of the first operational uses of the MV-22 Osprey during the Marjah campaign. Vest said he'd held the Ospreys back as a QRF in case the Taliban tried to make trouble in far off spots of the AO while 4,000 Marines were committed to Marjah. The only other high profile time the Osprey had been used during the operation -- which is in day four -- was to extract civilians bodies killed in an errant HIMARS strike from the town during a daylight mission. That's the one where an Osprey came under fire from RPGs and small arms.
For the raid this morning, which took place at 0200 Afghan time, a group of 120 Force Recon and Afghan National Army troops were inserted by three MV-22s in two waves into an "enemy controlled area" to serve as a blocking force for 3/6. The ACE for that raid included Harriers, Hueys and Cobras and a variety of UAVs and C2 platforms to count bad guy heads and keep them down.
The ACE in Afghanistan has a compliment of 10 Ospreys, but will soon receive two more from the squadron attached to the 24th MEU which helped out in Haiti. Those MV-22s will fly from the Red Sea when the MEU moves out of the Suez all the way to Afghanistan making one refueling stop, Trautman said.
Also, Kit Up has learned that three of the Ospreys in theater have the BEA Systems Remote Guardian underbelly gun system, with two more yet to be installed. Trautman said the Corps had received $30 million to buy more. Vest added that the gun hasn't yet been fired in anger.