The Osprey Goes to War

Again you lose the speed advantage , the only rationale for this one
trick pony

so that newcomers understand.

The ospreys speed advantage in horizontal flight is derived from
rotating the prop rotors to horizontal flight. However this put an
absolute maximum size on both the rotor and the cabin. Both are
inefficiently small The small "prop rotors" are inefficient in vertical
flight. They are far smaller than an efficient helicopter rotor driven
by the same horsepower. So the horsepower requirements are enormous for
the lift.

Because the horsepower requirements are enormous the osprey has the
Engines of a heavy lift helicopter and the cargo capabilities of a
medium lift helicopter.

The small rotors are driven faster which creates far greater down wash
as they land.

The tilt machinery and long drive shaft required to deal with engine
failure impose a permanent weight penalty. so weight control was critical.

The net result is that all of the "advantages" of the osprey only occur
at relatively long range. At short range it is inferior to a modern
helicopter in every possible way.

But the Cobra is not a long range aircraft It has a maximum payload of
about 3500 pounds of crew fuel and weapons. The more fuel loaded , the
less armament

Helos are by their nature not long range propositions.

The Osprey is a worst of both worlds proposition. It's pessimal.
Worse even than the Canadair tilt wing transports of the 60s.

Helos are poor escort platforms, unless some bizarre hover-fight is
envisioned. A WWII recip fighter would be a better escort.

Sadly, some politician's kid is going to have to die in a horrific
crash-along with thirty or so other people-before the Osprey is
euthanized.

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:33:26 -0400, Vince wrote:

American ground forces have not
gone to war without air superiority since, what, Korea? WWII?

The guys caught in the Pacific at the beginning of WWII didn't exactly
go to war, it came to them. What was the situation in the air when the
US troopsentered WWI?

Casady