Above you see a vid that I've been hesitant to post on these pages. Its supposedly a "proof of concept" that the Marine Corps is able to conduct 1000 mile raids.
SLD says this...
This is a total distance of approximately 1,100 miles and will solidify the Marine Corps as the only DOD asset to have validated the ability to provide this capability.A Marine Lt in the Infantry Officer Course said the following...
From 27 November 2013 to 19 December 2013, IOC (-)(+) deploys to the MCAGCC in 29 Palms, CA to conduct mechanized and dismounted, combined arms, live-fire training, full-spectrum, blank and live-fire urban training, and a “proof-of-concept” long-range operation IOT prepare infantry and ground intelligence officers for duty in the Operating Forces.
PALMFEX is a newly validated capability as it applies to Crisis Response, HA/DR, Anti-Piracy missions and other DOD strategic requirements.
If this class is any indication of what Marines can be do with the Osprey then their is no reason why the Marine Corps at large can't be brought to this standard.The reason my young Padawan is because in the REAL WORLD the bad guys shoot back! Aircraft get penetrated by small/large arms fire, and you're lucky if you're not dogging ManPads and RPGs to and from the Landing Zone.
This is another piece of flawed Marine Corps propaganda for a concept that will get men killed. The desperation though is palatable. This vid. The dog and pony to evacuate US citizens. The Marine Corps I knew would never have stooped to these levels.
The bright spot?? Amos will be gone by the end of this fiscal year. Thank God.
Reminds me of a department store.
ReplyDeletehttps://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR19DsfQPDBAOsfyLpGvT8j9OZCFCGhKXAyf-BvRDPW_xlVzXKz
Or of the embattled town of Bor in South Sudan, where a CV-22 was hit and it took Mi-8s from Rwanda to accomplish the UN evac mission.
My Concern with the Osprey... when I was a kid I read stories about how much trouble they were having with it. Finally they managed to get it to fly right. But basically this is a delicate piece of equipment, If it's sent to an area where nothing can possibly go wrong with it and no one will shoot at it... it's a great aircraft. It's also good to have a team of mechanics wherever it lands.
ReplyDeleteSo what they've done is to falsify maintenance records.
Deleteaudit report:
From FY 2009 through FY 2011, MV-22 squadron commanders computed the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program MCR for five of the six squadrons using erroneous aircraft inventory reports and work orders. Squadron maintenance personnel:
improperly recorded MV-22 aircraft status information 167 of 200 times on aircraft inventory reports for out-of-reporting periods; and
did not adequately prepare 112 of 907 work orders that we reviewed.
In addition, MV-22 squadron commanders submitted incomplete or inaccurate readiness reports for the six squadrons. For example, squadron operations personnel provided incomplete or inaccurate R-level information for 199 of 265 readiness reports. Furthermore, 5 squadrons did not provide complete C-level information for 127 of 265 readiness reports. . . .
http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/report_summary.cfm?id=5353
"Proof of concept" implies that the concept is not obvious enough to all, to go without requiring "proof". I think the CV-22 is a lovely aircraft. I also like solar powered aircraft and roses. I am not recommending those for the Marines either. There is ultimately a time when no matter how much tech you have - you end up having to put boots on the ground and it's hard enough to get them there at times. If this thing was built like an A-10 instead of an egg carton, I'd be more enthusiastic about it.
ReplyDeleteIm agreeing, cherish this because I dont always do that lol. This is a dangerous platform. It shouldn't comprise more than 25% of the transport helicopters. It is good to have something fast and long winded for a niche but MV-22 isn't the deal for the mass of USMC.
ReplyDeleteUSMC really should jump on the S-B defiant bandwagon with the army when it comes out.
12 men, 15,000 lb sling load, 16 jagm missiles, 250 kts, 300-500 combat radius M230 chaingun. armored like a blackhawk.
its half the men if it does get shot down, you can park them in a much smaller space. twice as many will be able to work off the deck, did I mention this thing has guns.
A towed glider would do the job better and safer in my humble uneducated opinion.
DeleteLiving near an Air reserve base I see lots of Mil. aircraft go by, I watched two V-22 last summer, one was in a circling loiter around the other it was in Prop forward high speed flight mode, the other was staggering in the air weaving back and forth with it's tilt rotors in a midway position between forward and hover.
ReplyDeleteThis air show went on for some time and the aircraft finally flew out of sight over the horizon.
I mention this now because of OpSec and did not want to say anything as it happened.
I have no experience beyond ground displays and this flight but, I wouldn't wish a long distance raid in one of these coffin's on a broke dick dog.