UNCONVENTIONAL OSPREY CV-22 LANDS FOR TESTING.Byline: Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - An unconventional tilt-rotor aircraft tilt-rotor aircraft: see vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. designed to rescue downed pilots and carry military teams deep behind enemy lines arrived Monday to begin two years of Air Force testing. Arriving after a flight from the Bell factory near Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. , the CV-22 Osprey osprey (ŏs`prē), common name for a bird of prey related to the hawk and the New World vulture and found near water in most parts of the world. aircraft tilted its rotors from horizontal to vertical and descended to a landing on a base taxiway taxiway: see airport. . ``To be involved in a new program is a pilot's dream,'' said Air Force Maj. Tom Currie, program manager for the testing, which will involve about 200 military and civilian personnel. ``It's definitely a unique opportunity.'' The Osprey takes off and lands like a helicopter but tilts its rotors during flight to fly like an airplane. The aircraft can travel at a top speed of about 400 mph and will have a range of more than 500 miles. The aircraft that arrived Monday is one of two to be used in the Edwards test program. The second test aircraft is scheduled to arrive in mid-October. Each will make about 10 flights per month. The Ospreys are at Edwards for evaluation of equipment earmarked specifically for Air Force missions, including a terrain-following radar Terrain-following radar is an aerospace technology that allows a very-low-flying aircraft to automatically maintain a constant altitude. It is sometimes referred-to as ground hugging, terrain hugging or nap-of-the-earth flight. system and electronic warfare gear. Edwards was chosen because of the variety of terrain nearby - from flat desert to the Sierra Nevada mountains - and the availability to test ranges. The aircraft are being developed to perform jobs for the Marines and the Navy and for the Air Force Special Operations Forces Those Active and Reserve Component Air Force forces designated by the Secretary of Defense that are specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Also called AFSOF. . A Marine Osprey crashed in April in Arizona during a training flight, killing 19 Marines. The military said the crash was caused by pilot errors, not a mechanical or design problem. The Air Force plans to use its Ospreys for missions that require dropping teams deep behind enemy lines and retrieving them, such as rescuing downed pilots. The Air Force Osprey will carry a survivor locator system, rope ladders, terrain-following radar, additional fuel tanks and additional defensive electronic gear. Edwards' test team will include military personnel from the Air Force, Navy and Marines, and contractor employees from Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing Helicopters. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Air Force personnel look over the Osprey CV-22 on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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