Air Commandos celebrate AF60 with old and new (OSPREY)

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Boondocksaint375

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Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

http://www2.afsoc.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123032276&page=3

Video of the CV-22 - http://www.af.mil/tv/index.asp?showid=1292 ( i had to go to the "search tab" and type in CV-22)

11/17/2006 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFSOC News Service) -- The first operational CV-22 Osprey stole the show during an air power demonstration at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Nov. 16, commemorating the Air Force's 60th anniversary.

As special operations forces simulated a behind-the-lines mission with Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130 gunships firing overhead and MH-53 Pave Low helicopters bringing in ground forces, the Osprey swooped in, banked and transformed from airplane to helicopter before a crowd of hundreds who had gathered to witness its arrival.

Once on the ground, Lt. Gen. Mike Wooley, AFSOC commander and pilot of the aircraft, turned over the "keys" to Lt. Col. Ed Corallo, commander of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, the first operational CV-22 squadron.

"That is the way to start a day, let me tell you. The CV-22 is an absolute dream to fly," he said, grinning. "You get a sense of the transformational capability that this airplane will bring to our SOF warriors in every branch of the service. It is a magnificent airplane."

Guests on hand to celebrate the arrival included Gen. Doug Brown, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

"We're excited about the CV-22 at SOCOM," he said. "The infill of 19 October 01, as we put special operations forces on the ground in Afghanistan, we would have done it quicker, we would have done it safer, we would have done it with less refuelings and we would have been able to put more teams on the ground in the same period of darkness if we had the CV-22."

AFSOC is scheduled to receive at total of 50 CV-22s between now and fiscal year 2017.

The arrival of the CV-22 was the first of the day's events commemorating the Air Force 60th Anniversary, themed "Heritage to Horizons."

While the Osprey arrival showed what is on the horizon for special operations Airmen, a ceremony later that day highlighted the command's heritage. There, Air Commandos past and present watched as Hurlburt's 16th Special Operations Wing regained its historic 1st SOW designation.

"It's a great day for the United States Air Force, United States Special Operations Command and AFSOC as we bring back the great heritage of the 1st Special Operations Wing," General Brown said at the reflagging ceremony.
 
The aircraft can provide VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) with a payload of 24 troops, or 6,000lb of cargo at 430 nautical miles combat range, or VTOL with a payload of 8,300lb of cargo for a range of 220 nautical miles. The helicopter is self-deployable worldwide, with a ferry range over 2,100 nautical miles. Normal operating range is up to 1,100 nautical miles.
 
thats Great news for the Troops on the Ground...Im sure(correct me if Im Wrong)you can put some rocket pods/air to air missiles on the wings?
 
the machine has issues and the project is, IMO, poorly managed. It was a political decision, not an operational one.
 
Once they iron the bugs out I think it will be great. "As is" however is mediocre at best.
 
I still love the controversial former ad...........
 

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It can't unleash much...it doesn't have any armament and the fast ropes are less than perfect.
 
fast ropes are mostly all the same right? How can you blame that on the airframe? Or do you mean fast roping from the airframe is less than Ideal?
 
The rotor wash is significant enough that weighted ropes were tested...different versions that what y'all are used to from -60's and -47's, and 53's....a whole new animal.

I have no clue what will be used, only that the AFSOC end user community has bitched about it elsewhere as well as some PJ's I've talked to.

The AF is a pilot community and this bird is more for the end-users and not the crew, but it seems like the crew designed the bird's requirements with the end-users getting minimal say-so in how it will be outfitted.

I think it is a great bit of technology, just a very poorly managed program.
 
dude that rope was frig en almost vertical,if that was planed that way fine.But I've almost roped off the side of buildings because the bird moved a little,let alone have the wash push you off
 
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