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WASHINGTON: A Marine Corps investigation confirms that, as Breaking Defense reported July 9, the pilot at the controls of an MV-22B Osprey that crashed April 11 in Morocco, killing two crew chiefs aboard, violated flight manual procedures and committed other errors that contributed to the accident. Breaking Defense has obtained a redacted summary of a…
By Richard WhittleMANASSAS, Va: Buzzing a runway in 200-knot low-level passes and steep, nose-up climbs, Eurocopter’s silver X3 hybrid helicopter looked like something out of a James Bond movie as it performed for the media in late July. The X3 (pronounced “X-cubed”) stopped off at Manassas Regional Airport as part of a U.S. tour that ended last…
By Richard WhittleHoly #V-22!! The Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto will fly in an Osprey at 4:30 with press filming. Take THAT Okinawa protesters! colinclarkaol
By Colin ClarkAn April 11 MV-22B Osprey crash in Morocco occurred because the pilot committed a fundamental flying error which investigators have found was rendered irreversible by a tailwind neither he nor a second pilot in the cockpit noticed, Breaking Defense has confirmed. The Defense Department announced June 29 that the Marine Corps had ruled out any…
By Richard WhittleThe Pentagon and the Japanese government announced early Friday that a dozen Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys are being shipped to Japan for deployment on Okinawa but the planes won’t fly until investigations into two recent crashes of the tiltrotor troop transport are complete. The announcement – issued the same day four MV-22s were scheduled to…
By Richard WhittleWASHINGTON: The pilot in command of the Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22 Osprey that crashed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on June 13 was also the copilot of an AFSOC Osprey that suffered a fatal accident in Afghanistan on April 8, 2010, Breaking Defense has confirmed. Still unclear is whether Maj. Brian…
By Richard WhittleWASHINGTON [Corrected at 6 pm Friday]: The latest crash of a V-22 tiltrotor may be a black mark on the aircraft’s safety record, but it won’t bring down the program. Despite literally decades of criticism — which is now certain to flare up again — there’s simply too much budgetary momentum, political support, and, yes,…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.CV-22 – USAF Special Ops version of Marine V-22 Osprey – crashes in Florida, five injured but, thankfully, no dead: http://bit.ly/LC4pTm SydneyFreedberg
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.This is the first in a series of commentaries defense consultant and author Robbin Laird, a member of the Breaking Defense Board of Contributors, is penning about how the U.S. can and should shape its forces to perform the Asia strategy pivot. As a key part of that, he’ll be looking closely at what he…
By Robbin LairdEveryone knows military technology projects take forever and cost billions to produce, right? Just look at the Air Force’s latest fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor. The Raptor’s initial requirement was written in 1981, with the objective of developing an air superiority fighter to counter the Soviet air threat. It was declared operational in December of…
By Dan WardWASHINGTON: While we here at Breaking Defense are perfectly willing to criticize Congress on occasion, we’re very happy to have them say nice things about us, or at least mention us. In this case, it’s Rep. Mac Thornberry on the floor of the House, citing our article on the V-22 by aviation expert and regular…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.NATIONAL HARBOR: UPDATED: Israeli Air Force Flew In CV-22 When In US; UAE May Be First Foreign Sale Last week’s crash in Morocco won’t slow down the V-22 Osprey program, which in 2013 can be expected to win its first foreign sale and is poised for visible growth over the next two years, the Marine…
By Richard Whittle
The Osprey After Five Years: Leading A ‘Tsunami Of Change’
This September, the controversial Osprey will reach the five-year mark in its operational deployment history. In September 2007, the Osprey was deployed for the first time to Iraq. The plane has not only done well, but in five short years has demonstrated its capability to have not only a significant impact on combat but to…
By Robbin Laird