V-22 Osprey Weapons ?

I have read that the Osprey will be fitted with a chin mounted cannon?

Has anyone got any info on that? or what would you arm it with?
Maybe rocket pods,mavericks,stingers??




www.fas.org...
www.airforce-technology.com...
www.boeing.com...
www.bellhelicopter.textron.com...

[edit on 12-10-2005 by John bull 1]

My guess would be the same thing that a CH-53 or Chinook would be armed with. A couple door guns....I really don't see the V-22 going in alone, it will probably have a couple AH-1 Cobras with it to make up for the lack of fire power. It's made as a transport, not a fighter.

But ya never know

The only things I've read about so far were miniguns in the doors. I heard something awhile ago about the chin turret, but nothing ever came of it as far as I know.

I heard that they were going to put a small laser on the bottom of the Osprey so that it can shoot down rpg fire.

All I heard of is that is being considered to put on a remote-controlled gun turret like on the OV-10 Bronco, which is also in marine service.

Originally posted by ulshadow
I heard that they were going to put a small laser on the bottom of the Osprey so that it can shoot down rpg fire.

I read that it was going to take out light armoured vehicles and cruise missiles.

Well, it will defenetly not be a attack aircraft of any sort... maybe just for self defense...

Weapons are not that practical on the V 22 Osprey. You cannot mount much wing loads as it must clear the radius of the very large propellors. A chin mounted gun would be practical. Guns internally like door guns must be locked so that they cannot turn to the propellors or wings. Such large propellors ..any propellor imbalance due to damage would be quickly disasterous probably ripping the engines right off thier mounts.
Does anyone else know..I think it is designed basically as a insertion type aircraft...a troop carrier/equipment.? To deliver equipment close to the front..in unprepared fields.Textbook Marine doctrine.

Thanks,
Orangetom

The Osprey will have a .50 calibre machinegun turret mounted on it's chin.

It's still being specially developed for the osprey, that will be more than good enough to clear LZ's.

I'll try to track down the recent article in Av Week.
It said that plans were to increase firepower for SAR, search and rescue.
It's a cargo carrier, and limited capacity, but without cargo, it would have more weapons capabilty.

I don't remember a chin turrent, but it would be like the three barrel 20mm chain gun used on the Cobra helicopter, I suppose. Turrents and ammo boxes usually have to stay near the center of gravity. They weigh a lot. Mini-gun door guns are a good choice for both sides and the rear cargo door.

Recent advances in ordnance and propellents makes 20mm, 50cal, .308 and even .223 much more capable.

The article also indicated that a four engine Osprey would be considered for combat supply delivery. I think it also talked about a smaller two engine job for some other purpose.

Now I want to go dig that out, kinda curious...

The Osprey will have a .50 calibre machinegun turret mounted on it's chin.

A .50 cal? I don't think that's big enough, I would feel a lot better if I was onboard if there was a 20 or 30 mm under it.

I heard that the V-22 Osprey would be outfitted with highly advanced ECM flares that discharge automatically when encountered by enemy missile fire. Also two laser chainguns will be mounted on each wing to clear out heavy tanks and large clumps of infantry.

Also there will be mini Hydra rockets mounted on the horizontal stabilizers that are laser guided and on the top and bottom of the Osprey will be missile laser defense turrets. The Osprey will also be capable of dropping small tactical nuclear weapons as well.

Alright, well in all honestly, yea I only think that they would arm the Osprey with dual chainguns mounted on the side doors for infantry support. As for a noise gun, eh.

Shattered OUT...

V-22 Escort

As of 1997 the V-22 escort aircraft was expected to serve in the air-to-air combat mode while escorting the V-22s to shore and back to ship-board base. Additionally, the escort is required to engage in air-to-ground warfarein the vicinity of the landing zone where the V-22 is off-loading troops and/or cargo.

The basic mission requirements and constraints dictate that the vehicle must:

-Be capable of operating from the same class of Navy ships as the V-22 (LHA, LPH, and LHD). I.e. - must be able to fit into the ship elevators and hanger decks.

-Have a two-man crew.

-Have a maximum hover-out-of-ground-effect(HOGE) disc loading of 20 lbs/ft2 at maximum takeoff gross weight (TOGW) to minimize erosion and blowing dust from unpreparedsurfaces during VTOL operations .

-Have a vertical rate of climb (VROC) of at least 1,000 feet per minute at TOGW, standard sea level, maximum rated engine power (MRP).

-Have a dash speed of at least 400 knots at an altitude of 3,000 feet, MRP.

-Be able to sustain a 5.0 g turn at TOGW, flying at 250 knots at an altitude of 3,000 ft.

-Have a weapons load consisting of: internal or turreted 20 millimeter cannon+1500 rounds of ammunition, 4 AIM-9L air-to-air missiles, and 4 AGM-114 air-to-ground missiles.

The two most promising VTOL candidates that can fulfill this mission are the Variable Diameter Tiltrotor (VDTR) and the Stopped Rotor/Wing (SRW). These concepts were selected for comparison in this study based on their potential to meet the dash requirementas well as the military nature of the mission.

Rest of article and pic at globalsecurity.com.

General Dynamics Armament Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), has been selected by Bell Boeing to develop a turreted gun system for the V-22 Osprey Aircraft. Official contract award and program start is slated for first quarter 2001 with the contract running through February 2005. The $45 million contract will be for systems engineering and design, development, fabrication and testing of three complete V-22 turreted gun systems with spares. The selection of General Dynamics positions the company for a gun system production program with potential value of more than $250 million.

The General Dynamics V-22 turreted gun system integrates a 12.7mm, GAU-19/A Gatling gun, a lightweight turret; and a composite, linear linkless ammunition storage and feed system. The system will provide the V-22 Osprey with strong suppressive firepower capability. This suppressive capability will increase the survivability of the V-22 Osprey. The V-22, which features unmatched operational and tactical agility, will enable response to a growing number of diverse contingencies, from disaster relief to major theater war.

jiatelin.jschina.com.cn...

12.7mm is .50cal, BTW...
Still doesn't say where the turret would be.
Boeing says it's a nose mounted turret.

Bell Boeing tiltrotor team plans to develop a gunship version of the V-22 using a 50-caliber Gatling gun on a chin-mounted turret

www.aviationtoday.com...

...The CV-22 also will be equipped with a turret-mounted machine gun in the nose of the aircraft...

www.fas.org...

Other websites say it's a 20mm turret.
And from Boeing, a new 30mm upgrade development:

...The new turret will be part of the 30mm M230 weapon system. Boeing produces the M230 cannon at its Mesa facility....Boeing plans to produce a turret that also can be used on other Boeing rotorcraft products, including the V-22 Osprey and RAH-66 Comanche....

www.boeing.com...

And now for some fun; a 4 engine Osprey GunShip:

Is it just me or is that thing almost identical to the pelicans in halo, except like propulsion and the fact that the pelican was more armed.

Originally posted by truttseeker
Is it just me or is that thing almost identical to the pelicans in halo, except like propulsion and the fact that the pelican was more armed.

The Pelican in Halo 2 had a chin mounted gun turret and an optional dual rocket launcher system mounted on the wings.

Shattered OUT...

thats what it looks like now...pelican is a futeristic version pretty much, am i right am i right?

I wonder if while trialing the Pelican dropship they suffered so many technical problems and funding issues as with the V-22.....

Early in the program, there was an AUSA show in which a concept model was displayed as a 'direct conversion' to a gunship (like) configuration with a similar body but a masted sight and a tandem cockpit. It was equipped with a belly mounted weapons bay and so could carry an interesting range of what were then considered to be fixed-wing-only heavy weapons such as Mavericks and Sidewinders internally. While nominally maintaining equal or better topend performance (the old 'slick vs. hog' problem).

This system was later given a new, tailored, body to become the 'BAT' or Bell Attack Tiltrotor in a very slender fuselage and powered by T800s (ala LHX) but still with internal weapons (this time hellfires and 70mm FFAR) carriage for the reasons another poster mentioned regarding the proprotor arcs.

The last I heard, the basic V-22 was to receive a Lucas 'plastic' turret which aerodynamically enclosed an M2 class .50 cal and all ammo within a single envelope for simple harrassing fire suppression that was 'better than thrown rocks'.

This because weight concerns and a critical lack of funding had undone the
GECAL-50 (GAU-19) as a principle weapons system switchover from the M134 for U.S. forces (despite any so-called 'propellant improvements', the Minigun is completely outclassed for slant and urban target effects as a suppression weapon).

One thing you have to keep in mind is that no airmobile/airlanded force which walks to battle is worth a darn because the time constraints of modern mech warfare in concert with the risk inherent to their delivery aircraft in dropping into a hot LZ.

Whether the infantry are run down by mounted troops on the way to the objective, the objective didimau's out on it's own. Or the hybrid aircraft are butchered by networked artillery, mines and elephant stakes in the local area, it just doesn't make sense to attempt a Vietnam styled 'swarm of Hueys' approach to airmobile.

'The Difference' at least to a Marine RAP team is that if you can /drive/ to the sound of battle, you can start out 20-30 miles away from an intended target and even if attacked en-route at least escape at nominal 25-30mph overland speeds. Pick a target, KNOWING IN ADVANCE that that is the enemies intended destination. Now draw a circle with a 20nm radius around it. And try to outguess your attacker as to where the dropoff is coming within the 1,256 square miles of single-airframe insert. At best, you can narrow down the response zones based on cutting off transit chokes along his /likley/ AAs.

As such, and particularly given the monstrous size:cost of the Osprey relative to both the existing Frog and Stallion footprint on LHA/LHD class vessels, a Marine commander would be testicularly deep fried and served up with a white wine and mushroom sauce if he put his primary force projection asset /anywhere near/ a threatened area.

Far Better to use a GATOR or Shadow (vehicle out the back of the bird) equipped force and let /them/ carry the Mk.19 or M2HB into battle. Because they don't cost you 2hrs and 50 million dollars to replace in the air day ops cycle (back to the boat and turn).


KPl.

The Osprey is supposed to replace the MH-53 Pave Low Helicopters in the next few years. Hurlburt Field is the test bed starting in 06-07.

I'm glad I got out of the AirForce before I had to work on those things...

(I was stationed there with the 16HMXS)