The U.S. Marine Corps today released video of its V-22 Ospreys arriving in Afghanistan. Ten MV-22s flew from the USS Bataan and are now operating in southern Afghanistan.
The video is of MV-22Bs with the Marine Medium tiltrotor Squadron 263, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit taking off in three waves from the flight deck of the Bataan.
And here is video of the arrival and flight of the first Osprey to be use in Afghanistan.
But you luv the CV-22! Nothing bad to say about the A400M! No comment about the over priced Typhoon! Praise for the Gripen when its coming online years after the F/A-18 and will only match its qualities not improve on them! Selective criticism or what~?
OK, MV-22 deployed, hand-off underway. But this raises a question on a related weapons system always waiting it's first deployment: The Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS), and the related ITV. The EFSS was reported operational with an Artillery unit, I believe last spring. Did the Osprey's going in to A'stan carry the EFSS? Will it meet then there? Seems to this watcher that a 120mm mortar with precision rounds would be just the thing for remote OPs in A'stan. Is it in the fight yet?
Re EFSS: remote indirect/BLOS fire support is under new management. The new "McCrystal" ROEs are very strict in an attempt to reduce civilian casualties, especially after that "German" fueltruck incident.
It would btw be a dynamite C-RAM system; connected with a counterbattery radar, the automatic gun laying is fast enough to either illuminate/mark with smoke or counter-fire with HE.
And about the ITV, well, the less said the better...
Correction Re EFSS - what I meant to say was that indirect (mortar) fire will have to adhere to stricter rules of engagement; this fully automated system will have to be double checked by a human operator, and deploying it under these new ROEs might kinda defeat its purpose.
- Was the ship underway when they launched? The deployment to Iraq sometime back via ship was a launch dead in the water. Are there any recent pictures out there ever showing an Osprey launch from a ship when it is underway and not dead in the water?
But this raises a question on a related weapons system always waiting it's first deployment: The Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS), and the related ITV. The EFSS was reported operational with an Artillery unit, I believe last spring. Did the Osprey's going in to A'stan carry the EFSS? Will it meet then there? Seems to this watcher that a 120mm mortar with precision rounds would be just the thing for remote OPs in A'stan. Is it in the fight yet?
"But this raises a question on a related weapons system long waiting it's first deployment:"
Re EFSS: remote indirect/BLOS fire support is under new management. The new "McCrystal" ROEs are very strict in an attempt to reduce civilian casualties, especially after that "German" fueltruck incident.
It would btw be a dynamite C-RAM system; connected with a counterbattery radar, the automatic gun laying is fast enough to either illuminate/mark with smoke or counter-fire with HE.
And about the ITV, well, the less said the better...
Was the ship underway when they launched? The deployment to Iraq sometime back via ship was a launch dead in the water. Are there any recent pictures out there ever showing an Osprey launch from a ship when it is underway and not dead in the water?