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Lt. Col. Paul Rock says the vertical takeoff and landing Osprey aircraft, long in development, is ready for Iraq.
The Osprey features a twin vertical-lift tilt-rotor and is primarily to be used as transport aircraft.
Two Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft take off from a landing zone at Quantico Marine Corps Base yesterday. Lt. Col. Paul Rock (left) is the squadron commander. |
BY JENN ROWELL
Marines driving along Montezuma Avenue on The Basic School side of Quantico base stopped and got out of their red SUV to watch the Marine Corps' newest aircraft fly over the tree line to the landing field.
Two MV-22 Ospreys landed at Quantico as part of yesterday's announcement that the first MV-22 squadron would be deployed to Iraq later this year.
"Compared to anything you've ever flown before, this is a high performance aircraft," said Lt. Col. Paul Rock, the squadron commander.
Deployment of the Osprey comes after nearly two decades of development and two crashes in 2000 that killed 23 people.
But Rock and other members of the squadron say they are confident that the Osprey is ready for its first combat mission.
"We wouldn't be flying anything we thought was going to kill us," Rock said. "It's not a science experiment. It's a fielded aircraft."
The Osprey is designed for speedy vertical takeoffs and landings. Two tilting rotors give the Osprey a wide range of maneuverability with a top speed of 257 knots.
"We're looking to put the most lethal thing the Marine Corps has--the individual rifleman--out there on the deck," Rock said.
The squadron has been training with the Osprey for the past year, and most Marines in the squadron have been deployed with other units previously, Rock said.
The Osprey squadron is based at New River, N.C. The squadron expects to deploy this fall, but no other details have been released yet.
"It's what you train for as a Marine," Rock said of the deployment. "It's why we have the aircraft, it's why we have the squadron."
Jenn Rowell: 540/374-5418
Email: jrowell@freelancestar.com
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Length 57 ft., 4 in. long
Wingspan 84 ft., 7 in. wide Height 22 ft., 1 in. Top speed 241-257 knots Weight (empty) 33,459 kg. Fuel capacity 1,720 liters |
