Osprey the Death Wish Machine - soon for combat ?

TM Advertising of Irving, Texas, prepared this ad for Bell Helicopters which appeared several times in the Armed Forces Journal and was "mistakenly placed in the National Journal last October.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic civil-liberties group created stink ...the building depicted in the ad has an Arabic sign that translates as "Muhammad Mosque," according to the council. Curiously nobody was too bothered that the V 22 Osprey crash happy death machine is being advertised by Bell, because if it is canned ,Bell tanks.

At the same time the Philadelphia Enquirer was happy to report ...

In a move that could mean hundreds of new jobs at Boeing's Ridley Township facility, a Pentagon panel today endorsed the V-22 Osprey and recommended moving toward full production of the aircraft.

The ruling by the Defense Acquisition Board could mean billions of dollars in contract work for the two companies involved in its production - Providence, R.I.-based Textron and Chicago-based Boeing Co. The company will build at least 458 of the V-22 aircraft for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy.

On March 27th another V22 crashed at Marine Corps in New River N.Carolina. Warming it's engines on the ground it jumped in their air, slammed sideways into the ground on its right wing - without injuries or death.So far five production copies and one prototype have crashed killing 26 Marines and 4 civilians.

2 Decades and after spending US$18 billion dollars there isn't anything in the US weapons store that has a worse record of safety, performance, cost inflation. Now Senate Appropriations Committee is planning an emergency spending bill that will provide another US$230 Mn for this program.

Why? Well the Marines own this toy, (Chmn of Staff Pace is a Marine as is head of SHAEF) they love brute force and this vehicle has 12,300 horse power , 4 times that of the battle proven Vietnam era CH-46, the V22 weighs twice as much and uses 3 times the fuel. Although plants in Texas and Pennsylvania build most of the V-22, 43 states share in it's manufacture.

In 2000 the Osprey was re-engineered to prevent ruptures in its high-pressure hydraulic system. ( A later generation twin tilt rotor for the Coast Guard,Eagle Eye an unmanned vehicle has no hydraulic systems; electro-servo actuators operate flight controls, and its twin tiltrotors are operated mechanically). Flight protocols were re-written to warn pilots not to descend too fast in helicopter mode, so as to avoid a potentially deadly ring vortex state, where the rotors lose their purchase on the air and the aircraft plunges earthward.

In January, the U.S. Army's aviation chief, Paul Bogosian, while discussing the loss of 56 aircrew and 120 aircraft have been lost since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began in late 2001 said helicopter survivability "has become a top priority" for the military.

Brig General Mindt at the same meeting explained that helicopters still have little protection against the most commonly used anti-aircraft weapons, such as air-defense artillery and small arms, which don’t emit an electronic signal. In an effort to minimize their exposure to enemy small arms fire, attack aviation pilots have changed their flying tactics from the traditional norm of hovering and firing to running fire and diving fire. Regrettably the designers of the V 22 have overlooked armamanet and the vehicle doesn't have a single piece of armament. The General Audit Office said ,""Survivability recommendations included the need to install and test a defensive weapon."

Billions of dollars spent and Bell and Boeing have not worked out how to install a gun ­ any kind of gun ­ onboard a machine that is bound by the laws of physics to land and take off slowly. Easy prey to small arms fire.

IN the battlefield shortage of helicopter spares is a problem which tracks back to shortages in U.S. stocks of speciality metals are leading to critical spare parts shortages for helicopters in Iraq, says Maj. Gen. James Pillsbury, chief of the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command.

The Berry Amendment, (which Lord Patel has drawn attention to elsewhere) is causing critical shortages in the specialty steel that goes into bearings used in helicopters, Pillsbury said.

The Berry Amendment dates from 1941 and requires the military to buy certain products from U.S. sources.

Next year, the Marines will deploy V-22s in Iraq.

"The Osprey can deliver Marines to battle more safely, bring them reinforcements over greater distances in greater numbers, and evacuate wounded more quickly. That all equates to lives saved, as we continue to prosecute the global war on terrorism."
Dr. Donald C. Winter
Secretary of the Navy, Jan. 2006 Boeing Website

BREAKING NEWS MAY 6th 16.00 BST 2 'Copters lost in Iraq / Afghanistan

UK military helicopter has been brought down over Basra with an anti aircraft missile 4 dead more here and here

A US Chinook CH-47 on Operation Mountain Lion action crashed at the mountain site in Kunir and all ten crew killed. Another CH-47 crashed there 28th June 2005 killing 16 special forces and crew.

Elsewhere in Afghanistantoday 2 Italian soldiers were killed by IED 12 miles south of the capital Kabul. 4 Afghans, (2 police) were killed in Helmand province where NATO tyroops have moved in.

V22- Osprey or Albatross ?

AP report that Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told reporters that the investigations into the crashes of three Army and one private helicopters since Jan. 20 are incomplete but "it does appear they were all the result of some kind of anti-Iraqi ground fire that did bring those helicopters down."

Those with a long memory will recall that Lord Patel wrote on May 6th 2006 " Osprey the Death Wish Machine - soon for combat ?"


The Philadelphia Enquirer had just reported

...a Pentagon panel today endorsed the V-22 Osprey and recommended moving toward full production of the aircraft.

The ruling by the Defense Acquisition Board could mean billions of dollars in contract work for the two companies involved in its production - Providence, R.I.-based Textron and Chicago-based Boeing Co. The company will build at least 458 of the V-22 aircraft for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy.

The V22 Osprey Tilt/rotor /helicopter is a massive beast - 12,300 horse power , 4 times the power (and 3 times the weight) as the battle proven and familiar twin rotor Vietnam era Chinook CH-46, and guzzles 3 times the fuel. Most of this widow maker is made in plants in Texas and Pennsylvania but 43 states share in it's manufacture and factories share the work in 276 Congressional Districts.

At that time (May 2006) we were repeatedly informed that, the Marines will deploy V-22s in Iraq later in the year , after 25 years, the spending of US$18Bn and the loss of 30 lives in testing.

"The Osprey can deliver Marines to battle more safely, bring them reinforcements over greater distances in greater numbers, and evacuate wounded more quickly. That all equates to lives saved, as we continue to prosecute the global war on terrorism."
Dr. Donald C. Winter Secretary of the Navy, Jan. 2006 Boeing Website

Well, 9 months later and there is no news of their arrival in theatre - and it appears precious little prospect that this US$68 Mn a pop man lifter and shifter is about to darken the skies over Baghdead. Apparently production is underway for 50 for USAF, 48 modified versions for the US navy and the Marine Corps want 360 to replace their aged Chinook CH-46's and CH -53's ... but it cannot lift an up - armoured Humvee (HMMWV)

William Bender of The Delco Times and Dave Montgomery McClatchy Newspapers both report on the Centre For Defense Informatithat has gone unremarked in the major US news media.

It is now 18 years after the first flight (It was promised for use in Bosnia in 1995, Afghanistan in 2002, and Iraq in 2003, and Gaillard points out that - The V-22 does not work and faces operational, aerodynamic and survivability challenges that will prove insurmountable, and lethal in combat.

Gaillard focuses on three major issues:

1) Absence of defensive armament
2) Constraints of the difficult-to-repair composite skinned cargo compartment for the 24 combat-loaded Marines inside
3) The critical and fundamental aerodynamic dilemma the V-22 faces when it attempts to descend vertically into a landing zone against enemy fire. This combination of blade stall and vortex ring state(VRS) -- a rotor downwash condition was stated to be the major factor that contributed to the April 2000 crash that killed 19 Marines - so far in testing there have been 30 fatalities.

Gaillard points out that the first 2 points have not been addressed - unbelievably (because of weight penalties mainly , the craft cannot protect itself with even machine gun fire. The craft also has no personnel crew hoist and few and cramped windows limiting visual control and ability to scan for hazards.

Repair of composites , if possible, is not a battlfield task and requires special tools, chemicals , huge curing ovens etc., because the body is essentially a single monococque construction which cannot simply be replaced , welded, or reinforced or even perforated. There has been no testing for defence against Rocket propelled grenades (RPG's) the weapon of choice of the jihadi street
fighter in Iraq, Afghanistan and maybe even in Syria or Iran.

The essential aerodynamic problems he says have been papered over with software changes and warning systems that V-22 pilots will ignore at the peril of themselves and their human cargo - and also expose the craft at it's most critical part of the flight path - landing and lifting with humans and their cargo.

The restrictions this imposes limits maximum vertical descent speed to 800 feet per minute = 9.1 miles per hour and attempt in the heat of combat to fly / descend faster would instantly result in de-stabilisation, crash and death.

Finally it is reported this twin engined aircraft can operate with a single engine - although this manouevre has so far, not been tested. Also, the Flight Manual says in the case of dual engine failure that the pilot should convert to "autorotation" although a DOD report says clearly that the " V-22 cannot autorotate to a safe landing."

Gaillard concludes of this monumental cock-up and monument to political corruption, boondoggling, fraud, theft and total lack of concern about properly equipping the military with the tools they need for their job - "The V-22 should not be deployed in combat (if not, where ?) ; an alternative , most probably and in - production helicopter , should be selected to replace all V-22's."

He suggests .....

* Augusta Westland's US101 (EH-101), which has three engines, a single rotor and was recently selected as the US Presidential transport helicopter.

* Boeing's CH-47F Chinook, which has two engines, two rotors and carries up to 33 combat-equipped troops.

* Sikorsky's H-92 Superhawk, which has two engines, a single rotor and carries up to 22 combat-equipped troops.

Osprey or Albatross ?