Backtalk: Ready for war (Osprey)

[unhappycamper]

Ready for war
By Glenn Walters

Unlike most V-22 critics, I have actually flown the Osprey. I flew hundreds of hours in this remarkable aircraft when I commanded the Marine Corps’ test and evaluation squadron from 2003 to 2006, and I am obliged to tell the truth.

The truth is, the Osprey is the most thoroughly tested aircraft in the history of aviation for one fundamental reason: the safety of its passengers.

Our nation expects that the military use the best-engineered, best-maintained and best-operated equipment available. Our troops deserve it. The Osprey we are flying today is just that.

Some critics say that we haven’t flown the Osprey in the desert. Not true. My squadron flew in desert environments on multiple occasions totaling months of tests. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, now in Iraq, completed several desert training periods before deploying.

In fact, we just had another squadron of MV-22s in California and Arizona doing more of the same. Not only can the Osprey fly in the desert, the aircraft’s advanced technology makes it easier than in any other rotorcraft to land in brownout conditions.

Other critics point out that the MV-22 does not have a forward-firing weapon, but no one puts this in context: No medium- or heavy-lift aircraft in the U.S. inventory has a forward-firing weapon.


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