V-22 Osprey: The U.S. Military’s Biggest Mistake?
ByHarrison Kass
Published4 mins ago
Of all the unique, advanced airframes in the US military’s expansive inventory, the V-22 Osprey may be the most easily identifiable. Using tilt-rotors – rotors that can pivot between about 90 degrees mid-flight – the V-22 is basically an amalgamation of a prop plane and a helicopter. Uniquely versatile, the V-22 can perform both vertical and conventional takeoff/landings. The result is a single airframe that combines the utility of a helicopter with the velocity and range of a turboprop.
In most circumstances, the V-22 takes off and lands in “helicopter mode,” with its nacelles positioned vertically and its rotors moving horizontally. Then, once the V-22 is airborne, having achieved flight like a helicopter would, the nacelles are pushed forward 90 degrees until they are positioned like a traditional prop aircraft (the nacelle reconfiguration takes about 12 seconds).
The V-22’s origins lie in one of modern America’s most haunting political and military embarrassments: Operation Eagle Claw.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/10/v-22-osprey-the-u-s-militarys-biggest-mistake/
