Osprey for Bootie transports?

This isn't based upon any news or fact its just me daydreaming and taking a break from my diss.

The Sea Kings are wearing out, slowly. What would people think to a V22 based replacement? Good modern technology, and the Speptics love'em in Iraq and they'll soon be in Afghanistan. Fast, further transit, VTOL, 22 loaded troop capable, and most importantly considering Afghanistan, has excellent Hot 'n High capabilities.

It's beside the point i guess cause we'll end up holding up AW and buying Merlins instead.

 

Buying Merlins? More like trying to borrow the crabs'... Haven't Ospreys had loads of problems though?

 

The Osprey could do the job as a replacement for the Junglies but it may be harder to fit into the rest of the fleet. If you look to where the Mk4s operate from would we be able to do the same with the Osprey. Will it fit on the back of the assault ships we have, will it fit on the back of a carrier without taking up the whole deck and denying the deck to others. Possibly not.
The thing is blooming huge.

 

V-22:

24 troops or 15 000lb of cargo.

Quicker than a helo. Falls out of the sky a lot. Has shown poor serviceability rates on ops and has a significantly higher logs footprint and, at around £70m a throw, is an extortionately expensive way to secure extra speed.

Chinook:

33-55 troops or 28 000lb or cargo.

Slower than the V-22. Excellent serviceability (assuming the correct spares are purchased). Proven, in service with the UK and with a unit cost of around £20m.

Merlin:

24 troops or 13 000lb of cargo.

Slower than V-22. Excellent serviceability in the BH role. Proven in service with the UK and offers commonality with RN HM1 fleet and likely to be used to replace SKASaC in future.

In short, I’d suggest that V-22s extra speed is not worth its extortionate price tag.

Regards,
MM

 

Ask one of the old Merlin squadrons C/O who flew the V-22 to NAVAIR at Pax River. 8)

 

Dream on :roll: No fixed wing AWACS.No Ospreys on the new carriers, have to make do with the Merlin :lol: :lol:

 

I've been doing a load of research to prepare for my sift interview, and I learned that they're planing on replacing the Sea King Mk7 with either a Merlin, V22 Osprey, or an E-2C Hawkeye. I reckon Merlins the most fitting thing really.

Plus I wouldn't dare go near a V22... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wquQXfAOOw4

 

I'd been led to believe that whatever we buy has to be made in Westlands?

Is this incorrect?

APN

 

Merlin is their choice for AEW cover on the new Carriers :cry: :cry: Ps No Cats No Wires = No E-2C Hawkeye and Osprey is a No No. IMHO

 

Sadly, I can't see you even getting Merlin ASaC based on current funding pressures, particularly as MASC doesn't appear to be very far up the RN's priority list. I suspect therefore that either SKASaC will be going well into the 20s or organic ASaC will have to take a 'capaibility holiday'.

Regards,
MM

 

I remember being told by one of the Air Branch a couple of years ago that the last RN Sea King pilot hasn't been born...

APN

 

Probably right. Would it not be a little embarrassing selecting Merlin as ASaC replacement? I'm told it was turned down in favour of retaining Sea King in the mid-90s.

 

When you're skint, one has to swallow one's pride!

Perhaps HMF should establish our own building society, declare insolvency after a week, and then divert the resulting £40B Government bailout funds to the EP!!!!

 

The replacement for the Seaking Mk4 is most probably going to be the green RAF Merlin as a 'hand me down' unfortunately. Ideally, we'd love it to be the Chinook but thats not going to happen, its just as old as the Seaking and the RAF don't want to be embarassed by letting a decent operator use it to its full potential.....by the way, by decent operator i mean CHF. The main problem is that there is no money to fund a replacement hence why its probably going to be a hand me down from the RAF.
Someone at 4 star/parliament level will hopefully soon come up with the idea of only letting the RAF play with their Eurofighter crap and the Harriers and leaving the RN to Helo ops!!

HAHA, yeah as if that is ever going to happen, but one can only dream!

 

Last I heard SK 4 is being extended into the 20's. It may get a limited glass cockpit to keep it going a little further into the future.

The V22 has terrible hot and high capabilities (having spoken to a V22 pilot) they are due out to the stan in a few months but they will be limited to just over an hours duration.

....Would be nice ot get a new aircraft....sigh.

 

Same here, heard rumblings of a life extension until 2022 and have also heard of further mod's to the old beast just to add a little more weight to it to make it even more useless in Theatre.

 

They have terrible hot 'n high? E-Gad, i've been fooled! Duped, no less, who'd have thought I couldn't believe the pro military US press.....

Whats generally needed is a kick up the a*se all round when it comes to priorities and equipment selection. For example, why do we not have NH90's? WHY are be buying FLynx? Its less bloody capability for more money, and looking on PPrune several current Lynx pilots have posted about how awful they are.

But getting back to the thread - Merlin wouldn't be so bad, even if they are RAF hand-me-downs, at least they'd be newer than Sea Kings.

PS Chinook replacement for Sea King, aren't they a big, erm, big to fit into the Ship hangers?

 

The UK green cabs don't fold (anywhere) and have had all their tie down points removed as a weightsaving measure (!). That means it doesn't go in the hangar on Ocean (or pretty much anything else pusser for that matter) and cuts your deck park in half. The Italian amphib version (which does fold) might be a better bet.

As for the Wokka, despite all the dramas about operating it shipboard, last I heard it was still a runner. Mind you, what we really could do with is CH53K - new build, lifts almost as much as a Wokka and it folds. Shame about the logs footprint.......

 

THe Wokka carries about twice the load of a V22 at a real world speed about 50kts less… The Wokka is more than fast enough to leave an AH-64 pilots chewing fumes.

Other advantage of said Wokka over V-22? Total weapons fit on a V-22 is a GMPG on the ramp… Wokka carries a lot more teeth,

 

FLynx should be fine for RN small ship needs, it's Army utility/ISR that the Wildcat is not really appropriate for.

I can't see the FAA getting any RAF Merlins, we've not got enough as it is!

Unfortunately, funding for SH is now held by the Army (yes, even for FAA Jungly and RAF cabs) and Land have actually lowered helicopter funding priorities in favour of other projects since taking financial responsibility!

What is required is a long term procurement plan to achieve greater commonality and fewer types between the RAF, AAC and FAA.

Unfortunately, the Treasury don't do long term...and we're broke.

Regards,
MM