Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The MV-22 Osprey Finds Purpose In Disaster Relief

MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit launching from the USS Bataan. (Photograp by Benjamin Chertoff)

From Popular Mechanics:

Can the much-maligned tilt-rotor aircraft earn respect on the job?

USS Bataan—After a couple of days working just under the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan you begin to recognize the signature sounds of various helicopters: The high-pitch rip of an HH-60 Knighthawk, the deep, rapid drum beat of the giant CH-53D Super Stallion or the rhythmic song of a UH-1 Huey. So the crew of the USS Bataan, outside Haiti, knows when something new lands onboard. Seconds after a bass-drum vibration shook the ward-room lounge, an excited Marine officer stuck his head in and announced "The Ospreys are taking off! Let's go up to the top of the island and watch!"

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