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Bell-Boeing V-22/MV-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft Helicopter
 
 
 
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
 
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
Description

Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
The Osprey can carry 24 combat troops, or up to 20,000 pounds of internal cargo or 15,000 pounds of external cargo, at twice the speed of a helicopter. It features a cross-coupled drive system so either engine can power the rotors if one engine fails. For shipboard compatibility, the rotors fold and the wing rotates to minimize the aircraft’s footprint for storage.
The U.S. Marine Corps has a current requirement for 360 MV- 22s to perform combat assault and assault support missions. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command has a requirement for 50 CV-22s configured for terrain-following, low-level, high-speed flight for long range special operations. More than 200 Osprey tiltrotors are currently in operation across 10 Marine Corps and two Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Osprey squadrons.

 
Main Variants


Produced variants:
- V-22 Osprey: United States Air Force (USAF) variant
- MV-22: Marines Corps (USMC) variant
- CV-22: U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) variant

Envisaged variants:
- SV-22: The proposed anti-submarine warfare variant - envisaged in the 80's -
- HV-22: The U.S. Navy considered an HV-22 to provide combat search and rescue, delivery and retrieval of special warfare teams along with fleet logistic support transport - Sikorsky MH-60s Seahawk was chosen (2001) -
- EV-22: Proposed airborne early warning and control variant. The Royal Navy studied this AEW variant as a replacement for its current fleet of carrier-based Sea King ASaC.7 helicopters.

 
Technical Data
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Design
The Osprey is the world's first production tiltrotor aircraft, with one three-bladed proprotor, turboprop engine, and transmission nacelle mounted on each wingtip. It is classified as a powered lift aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration. For takeoff and landing, it typically operates as a helicopter with the nacelles vertical and rotors horizontal. Once airborne, the nacelles rotate forward 90° in as little as 12 seconds for horizontal flight, converting the V-22 to a more fuel efficient, higher speed turboprop aircraft. STOL rolling-takeoff and landing capability is achieved by having the nacelles tilted forward up to 45°. Other orientations are possible, such as the "80 Jump" takeoff which uses nacelles at 80° to quickly achieve high altitude and speed.
Avionics and equipment
The V-22 is equipped with a glass cockpit, which incorporates four Multi-function displays (MFDs, compatible with night-vision goggles) and one shared Central Display Unit (CDU), allowing the pilots to display a variety of images including: digimaps centered or decentered on current position, FLIR imagery, primary flight instruments, navigation (TACAN, VOR, ILS, GPS, INS), and system status. The flight director panel of the Cockpit Management System (CMS) allows for fully coupled (autopilot) functions that take the aircraft from forward flight into a 50 ft (15 m) hover with no pilot interaction other than programming the system
Propulsion
The V-22's two Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engines are connected by drive shafts to a common central gearbox so that one engine can power both proprotors if an engine failure occurs. However, if a proprotor gearbox fails that proprotor cannot be feathered, and both engines must be stopped before an emergency landing. The V-22 can also be refuel in flight to increase its operational range.
Armament
The Osprey can be armed with one 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 in caliber) M240 machine gun or .50 in caliber (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun on the loading ramp, that can be fired rearward when the ramp is lowered. A .50 in GAU-19 three-barrel Gatling gun mounted below the V-22's nose was studied for future upgrade. BAE Systems developed a belly-mounted, remotely operated gun turret system for the V-22, named the Interim Defense Weapon System. This system is remotely operated by a gunner inside the aircraft, who acquires targets with a separate pod using color television and forward looking infrared imagery. The belly gun system was installed on half of the first V-22s deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, but found limited use due to its 800 lb (360 kg) weight and restrictive rules of engagement
 
Specifications
Type
Multirole Tiltrotor Aircraft
Country user
United States
Country producer
United States
Crew
2 pilots (3 seats in the cockpit)


Service Ceiling
25 000 ft / 7620 m
Engine
2 × Rolls-Royce AE1107C, 6,150 shp (4,586 kW) each

Fuel capacity (litter) MV-22 6,513 lit ;CV-22 7,710 lit ;Aux, self-deployment, - up to 3 tanks, each 1,628 lit
Speed
463 km/h maximum speed with a 47000 lbs/21000 kg payload
Range
Unrefueled mission radius with 24 troops : 390 nm or 722 km
Weight
Empty 33,140 lb (15,032 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 60,500 lb (27,400 kg)
Avionics
Glass cockpit with colour multifunctional displays, dual digital automatic flight control system, flight director, flight management system (FMS), GPS,automatic direction finder, VOR/ILS and three-station crew digital inter-communication system (ICS).
Dimensions
Length: 17.48 m; width with Rotor turning: 25.78 m;
Height with nacelles fully vertical: 6.74 m
 
Details View
 
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
 
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
Produced by two major manufacturers Bell and Boeing, the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multi-role combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
 
Pictures - Video
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